Chapter 9 - The Threat in the Shadows
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Dante ended the call with a violent snap, his knuckles white around the encrypted phone.
“What happened?” I asked, panic clawing at my throat as I stepped toward him.
“Antonio Romano just called an emergency council meeting of the Five Families for tomorrow evening,” Dante said.
“He’s accusing me of breaking our blood oath without just cause.”
“He claims I assaulted his son Julian without provocation and humiliated his daughter.”
“Can they remove you from your position?” I asked, terror for both Dante and Mia gripping my heart.
“They can try,” Dante replied with a grim, humorless smile.
“The syndicate operates on rules older than this country, Sarah.”
“If a don breaks an alliance without proof of treason, the other families can vote for war.”
“Julian’s forgery is proof!” I insisted.
“In our world, an analog recording of a break-in isn't always enough to satisfy corrupt old men,” Dante explained.
“Julian’s father controls two of the five votes on the council.”
“He will claim the video was manipulated or that Julian had my verbal permission.”
Dante ran a hand through his damp hair, pacing across the Persian rug of the library.
“Antonio made another threat on that call,” Dante added, his voice dropping an octave.
“He mentioned that innocent people in this house have vulnerable family members living in Queens.”
My heart stopped dead in my chest.
“Chloe,” I gasped, my knees suddenly buckling.
Dante was at my side before I could fall, his strong arms wrapping around my waist to steady me.
“Look at me, Sarah,” he commanded gently, pulling me against his solid frame.
“Look at me.”
I forced my eyes up to his, tears of panic blurring my vision.
“I swear on my dead wife’s soul, nothing will happen to your sister.”
“I dispatched four of my best men to Chloe’s building the moment Antonio called.”
“She has already been moved to a private safehouse in upstate New York under twenty-four-hour guard.”
Relief washed over me so violently that I buried my face into Dante’s chest, gripping his lapels.
He didn't pull away; instead, his arms tightened around me, holding me like a fortress against the storm.
“I won't let them hurt you, Sarah,” he whispered into my hair.
“Neither you nor Mia will ever suffer because of my sins.”
We stood like that in the quiet library while the rain lashed against the panoramic windows.
For a few precious moments, the terror of the mafia war dissolved into the overwhelming comfort of his embrace.
Suddenly, a soft cough sounded from the doorway.
Marco was standing there, holding an electronic tablet in his hand, looking slightly embarrassed.
Dante slowly released me, though his hand lingered on my waist for an extra second before letting go.
“What is it, Marco?”
“Our surveillance team intercepted a digital transfer from Julian Romano’s personal offshore account, boss.”
Marco handed the tablet to Dante, tapping the screen to display a complex financial ledger.
“Two hours before the engagement dinner, Julian wired four million dollars to a private security firm in Geneva.”
Dante’s eyes narrowed as he scrolled through the encrypted transaction logs.
“Saint Genevieve Academy,” Dante read aloud, his voice dropping into pure ice.
“Julian didn't just enroll Mia there, boss,” Marco revealed grimly.
“He paid a mercenary extraction team to ensure she was kept under armed lock and key indefinitely.”
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“They weren't sending her to school, Dante.”
“They were turning your daughter into a permanent hostage to keep you under the Romano family's thumb.”
