Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Dante

Three days later

Here we go…

With a deep breath, I stared up at the dilapidated warehouse, its rusted doors and shattered windows a bit ominous in the early evening light. The setting sun cast long shadows on the ground, making a shiver race down my spine at the sight.

It was like the setting of a horror movie, and we were about to walk right into it.

Rafael and I stepped out of the car, the gravel crunching under our feet. I instinctively checked my gun, a Beretta 92FS, secured at my waist. Its familiar weight reassured me in the uneasy quiet.

Rafael did the same, ensuring his Glock 17 was within easy reach. “Marco’s not known for playing fair,” he muttered, his eyes scanning the desolate surroundings. We were both on edge. He was just the first to voice it.

I nodded in agreement, my hand resting on the Beretta. “We need to stay sharp. If it’s a trap, we’ll be ready. We’ll need to be.”

I squared my shoulders and the two of us walked inside. Our footsteps echoed in the vast, empty space. Then, ahead of us, I saw him.

Fucking Marco Vargas.

He sat nonchalantly in a black folding chair—dark, slicked-back hair, a sharp jawline, and piercing eyes that assessed us coldly. He was flanked by a group of men, dressed in suits and armed to the teeth, each exuding the quiet menace typical of those well accustomed to violence. The air was thick with tension, the silence broken only by the distant drip of water somewhere from deeper in the building.

I didn’t like this. Not one bit, but I didn’t really have a choice.

I would have brought my own men, but Marco had demanded Rafael and I come alone.

That being said, I’d refused to come unarmed. If he was going to try to kill me, at least I was going to die fighting.

I leveled him with a hard glare.

Marco stood up slowly, his gaze fully fixed on me. “Dante,” he greeted, his voice dripping with disdain. “You’ve been making waves in the city. Killing the Rossi brothers…? That was a bold… bold move.”

I kept my expression neutral. “It needed to be done. They were a liability. Eventually, they would have been for you too, and you know it.”

Marco chuckled, a cold, humorless sound that chilled me to the bone. “Hmmmm. Maybe,” he said. “But you’ve weakened your standing with that move, Dante. You’ve made some enemies in the fallout.”

Rafael shifted slightly beside me. I could feel the undercurrent of danger in the room, like a coiled spring ready to snap.

“This meeting was supposed to be about peace, Marco. Let’s keep it that way,” I said, my voice steady and sure.

He scoffed, “Peace? In our world, peace is just the lull before the storm. You know that.” His eyes narrowed. “But let’s see if we can find some—How should I put it—common ground.”

The grin that spread over his face made my blood run cold. I squared my shoulders and raised my chin with constrained confidence.

“What do you have in mind?” I asked, my question hanging in the air for several seconds between us.

Marco’s next words sliced through the tense atmosphere like a knife. “You want peace, Dante? Hand over Ellie. She’s the key to preventing an all-out war between you and me.”

Handing over Ellie was not an option, not now, not ever. She was mine, not his. He wasn’t going to take her either. If he touched a single hair on her head, I’d put a bullet straight between his eyes.

I should kill him for what he did to her.

My grip tightened subtly on my Beretta, hidden beneath my jacket.

I wouldn’t hesitate if this escalated any further.

“Ellie is off-limits,” I replied coolly, my voice steady despite the rage boiling inside me. “You’re underestimating me, Marco.”

Marco’s smirk was predatory. “Am I now? Or are you willing to risk everything for one woman?”

Rafael shifted beside me, a silent sentinel ready for any outcome. “We’re not handing her over,” he said, his tone as hard as steel. “You should reconsider your position, Marco. This doesn’t have to get ugly.”

Marco laughed, a sound devoid of any real humor. “This world we live in, it’s always ugly, Rafael. You of all people should know that.”

I stepped forward, the tension between us growing increasingly palpable. “Don’t underestimate the alliances I have, Marco. This isn’t just about us and the Rossis. There are others who would back me in this, others who you and the Rossis have stepped on in the past.”

Marco’s expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. “Is that a threat, Dante?”

“It’s a fact,” Rafael shot back. “Cross us, and you’ll see just how far our reach extends.”

The standoff between us intensified, each word, each movement heavy with the threat of violence.

“You should be more concerned, Marco,” I continued, my voice low and dangerous. “I have Cyrus Holt in New York backing me. And let’s not forget the Murphys and the Morozovs in Boston. They owe me too.”

Marco’s eyes flickered, a brief glimmer of fear betraying his otherwise composed fa?ade, but it passed quickly, replaced by a hard, unyielding glare. “You think name-dropping your allies scares me, Dante? This city knows only one language—power. And I have enough of it to put you down.”

His men shifted uneasily, hands hovering near their own weapons, ready to react at any moment.

“But consider this,” Marco continued, a twisted smile playing on his lips, “Hand Ellie over, and you might just save yourself and your empire from complete ruin.”

I could feel Rafael’s tension beside me, but I didn’t dare glance in his direction. Not now.

“You lay a hand on her, and it won’t just be me you’re dealing with,” I warned, my voice deadly calm. “You’ll have a war on multiple fronts. Think carefully, Marco. Is it worth it? Is she worth it to you?”

Marco stared back at me, his gaze hard, and I leveled him with a look that told him I wasn’t going to back down.

“She got to you too, didn’t she?” Marco’s sly grin caused my fingers to tighten around my weapon.

“That’s none of your business,” I spat.

Marco’s smirk tilted up that much further. I wanted to fucking kill him, to rip his head right off his shoulders and throw his mutilated body right in the Hudson so everyone would know what happened to those that stood against me.

“It’s okay, Dante,” he replied mockingly, his tone grating. “You can admit it. Ellie’s got a way of getting under your skin. Why do you think I want her back? She’s got a tight little cunt that’s worth sinking into, but you know that already, don’t you?”

“Keep her name out of your fucking mouth,” I growled, fury erupting inside of me. I couldn’t hold myself back. Not this time.

Before I could even blink, my gun was drawn and aimed right at Marco’s head.

Everything happened so fast.

All of a sudden, the men beside Marco all had their guns pointed at me. Rafael’s hand pressed against my arm, holding me back for nothing more than a single moment.

Marco didn’t even flinch. Instead, he responded with a flippant smirk. “Look at you. Pretending to be all brave for your girl.”

I kept my gun steady, my resolve unwavering. “Don’t test me, Marco.”

Marco chuckled, his eyes locked on mine.

He then flicked his wrist in a subtle but deliberate gesture, a silent command to his men.

In that moment, a new sound cut through the tension—the unmistakable cocking of a gun from somewhere up above in the shadows.

Then, without warning, a gunshot pierced through the silence.

I stiffened, my eyes opening wide.

Fuck.