Chapter 8 - The SiegeRed emergency lights instantly bathed the entire estate in a sinister, bloody glow.
Dante’s romantic vulnerability vanished, replaced instantly by the ruthless cartel boss.
He drew a heavy black pistol from a hidden holster under his jacket.
“Get away from the windows!” he roared, pushing Clara toward the center of the room.
The sound of automatic gunfire echoed from the front gates, heavy and relentless.
“They breached the perimeter,” Dante snarled into a radio on his lapel.
“Lock down the safe room!”
He grabbed Clara’s hand with a bone-crushing grip and dragged her into the hallway.
“Where are we going?!” she screamed over the noise of shattering glass downstairs.
“To Julian!”
They sprinted toward the boy's bedroom, dodging frantic guards returning fire down the grand staircase.
The Moretti cartel had brought an army to Dante’s doorstep.
They burst into Julian’s room to find the little boy hiding under his bed, crying silently.
Clara dropped to her knees, pulling him out and wrapping her arms tightly around him.
“I have you, sweetie, I have you,” she promised.
Dante kicked the heavy oak door shut and locked the deadbolt.
“The safe room is behind the bookcase,” Dante ordered, pointing to the wall.
He punched a code into a hidden keypad, and the heavy shelving swung open to reveal a steel vault.
“Get inside and do not open it for anyone but me,” Dante commanded.
“You are coming with us!” Clara cried out, her chest tightening with sudden fear for him.
“I have to hold this hallway,” Dante said coldly, checking his ammunition.
“Dante, please!”
He stepped forward, grabbed the back of her neck, and kissed her fiercely.
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It was a kiss of pure adrenaline, possession, and desperate farewell.
“Protect my son,” he whispered, before shoving them inside and sealing the steel door.
