Chapter 6 - Storm Over the Syndicate
The peace within the fortress did not last. The failed attempt at Aurelios had triggered an all-out war between the Moretti family and the rival Marcone syndicate. Reports of violence on the docks and burned warehouses reached the estate daily. Dante was working around the clock, his eyes dark with fatigue, his jaw constantly set in a grim line.
Despite the chaos, our connection deepened. In the quiet hours of the night, Dante would come to my room, seeking refuge from the violence of his life. In his arms, I found a strange, fierce security I had never known. He was a tyrant to the world, but with me, he was vulnerable, unspooling his deepest regrets and his fierce desire to build a peaceful future for Matteo.
One rainy afternoon, Dante left the estate for a high-level summit to negotiate a ceasefire. He had left half his security force behind to guard the house.
Two hours after his departure, the estate's alarm system shrieked through the halls.
Red emergency lights flashed. Gunfire echoed from the front gate.
"Clara! Clara!" Matteo screamed, running into my room, weeping and clutching his toy car.
I scooped him into my arms, my heart slamming against my ribs. The rival syndicate hadn't come for Dante; they had lured him away to strike at his home.
"It's okay, baby," I whispered, rushing toward the hidden safe room Dante had shown me days before. "I've got you."
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A heavy explosion shook the east wing of the house. Smoke began to fill the corridors. Guards were falling in the hallway, the sound of automatic fire deafening. As I reached the heavy steel door of the safe room, two masked men stepped out from the smoke, weapons raised.
"Well, well," one of them sneered. "The little waitress and the brat."
