Chapter 2 - The Midnight Escape
The sound of shattering glass erupted from the front living room as Valenti’s men forced their way into the house. Dante pulled his hand away, drew a second magazine from his belt, and spun back toward the hallway, his face hardened into stone.
"Go!" he roared over the noise of opening gunfire.
I pulled Eli down into the dark, cool air of the cellar, locking the heavy floor hatch behind us. The ceiling above us shook with the heavy thuds of footsteps and the deafening echoes of close-quarters combat. Dante was a force of nature when cornered, but I knew the numbers were against him.
"Mom, I'm scared," Eli whimpered, clinging to my sweater.
"I know, baby. I know. But we have to keep moving," I whispered, pulling a flashlight from the shelf and guiding him toward the wooden storm doors that led out to the back garden.
I shoved open the doors, and the bitter winter air hit us like a wall. Snow was falling heavily now, burying our tracks as fast as we made them. I took Eli's hand and ran down the narrow alleyway behind the coastal cottages, heading straight toward the dark waters of Cape Loray harbor.
Behind us, a loud explosion rattled the windows of my cottage, illuminating the night sky in orange flame. My heart stopped. Had Dante survived? Had he burned down the evidence to protect us?
"Mom, look!" Eli pointed toward the end of the alley.
A black sedan screeched to a halt at the edge of the street, its tires burning rubber on the icy asphalt. The driver’s side door swung open, and for a terrifying second, I thought Valenti's men had cut us off. But the towering figure that stepped out, bleeding slightly from a graze on his cheek, was unmistakably Dante.
"Get in!" he shouted, throwing open the rear door.
I didn't hesitate. I threw Eli into the back seat and climbed in after him. Dante slammed the door, leaped into the driver’s seat, and slammed the accelerator to the floor. The sedan fishtailed before catching traction, speeding away from the burning cottage and leaving my seven-year life of quiet refuge in ashes.
"Are you hurt?" I asked, leaning forward, my hands shaking as I watched him in the rearview mirror.
"Just a scratch," Dante said, his voice clipped as he navigated the winding coastal roads with practiced skill. "They had six men. Two escaped. They’ll alert the main syndicate in New York within the hour."
Eli stared at the blood trickling down Dante's jawline, then looked at his hands. "You saved us."
Dante met Eli’s eyes in the mirror, his expression softening slightly. "I'll always save you, kiddo. Always."
"Where are we going?" I demanded, the reality of the situation crashing down over me. "I built a life here, Dante! I had a job, Eli had a school, we were safe!"
"You were never safe, Nora," Dante said coldly, though there was a deep thread of sorrow beneath his words. "Valenti found you through a shipping manifest because you used your maiden name on an import order for your shop. The moment they realized you were still alive, they knew you were my weakness. If I hadn't come tonight..." He choked back the rest of the sentence.
He didn't need to finish it. I knew what the mafia did to the families of their enemies.
"We’re going to my estate in Upstate New York," Dante continued, turning the car onto the main highway heading south. "It's a fortress. No one gets in without my permission."
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"And then what?" I asked softly. "We become your prisoners again?"
Dante was quiet for a long moment, the hum of the tires on the snow the only sound in the car. "No," he said quietly. "Then, I give you the answers you deserved seven years ago."
