DANTE'S POV
Someone hit me from behind.
Pain exploded through my skull. I went down hard.
Through blurring vision, I saw Isabella struggling. Fighting. The Russian holding her laughed and injected something into her neck.
She went limp.
"No!" I tried to stand. Couldn't. Everything spun.
"Sleep, Ghost." A boot connected with my ribs. "Viktor wants you alive. For now."
Darkness swallowed me.
---
I woke to cold water hitting my face.
My head pounded. Blood crusted on my temple. My hands were zip-tied behind my back.
I was in my own basement. They'd taken over my house.
"Finally awake." Viktor stood over me, smiling. "You sleep like baby. Very peaceful."
"Where is she?" My voice came out rough.
"The girl? Safe. For now." He crouched down. "You care about her. I can see it. Interesting."
"I care about my property. Nothing more."
"Liar." Viktor slapped me. Hard. "You dropped your gun for her. The Ghost of Chicago, surrendering. For waitress." He laughed. "Love makes you stupid, yes?"
"I don't love her."
"Then you won't mind what we do to her."
Ice flooded my veins. "Touch her and—"
"And what? You're tied up. Your men are locked in panic room. Your house belongs to me now." He stood. "But I'm reasonable man. I give you choice. Tell me where you keep your money—the offshore accounts, the safe houses, everything. Or I let my men have fun with your little bird."
My mind raced. The panic room. Tommy and my guards were safe there. But they couldn't get out without the code. And only I knew it.
How long could they last in there?
"You think about it." Viktor walked toward the stairs. "I give you ten minutes. Then I send Alexei to the girl. He likes breaking pretty things."
He left.
I immediately tested the zip ties. Too tight. But whoever tied me was sloppy—they'd used one tie instead of two.
I had a chance.
I stood, ignoring the pain. Looked around. This was my gym. My weapons were here.
All locked up.
But there—a piece of broken glass from the window. Small. Sharp.
I dropped to my knees and crawled. Grabbed it with my bound hands. Started sawing at the plastic.
Come on. Come on.
The tie snapped.
I was free.
But I had maybe five minutes before they checked on me.
I ran to the weapons locker. Punched in the code. It opened.
Grabbed a gun. Extra magazines. A knife.
Then I heard it.
Isabella screaming.
---
I took the stairs three at a time.
The screaming came from upstairs. From her room.
I killed the first guard in the hallway. Silent. Quick. He didn't see me coming.
Second guard heard the body fall. Turned. I shot him twice. Silenced pistol barely made noise.
More shouts. They knew I was free now.
Didn't care.
Isabella screamed again.
I burst through her door.
A huge man—Alexei—had her pinned on the bed. Her face was bruised. Blood on her lip.
He turned. Smiled. "Salvatore. Just in time to watch—"
I shot him in the head.
He dropped.
Isabella scrambled off the bed, shaking. "Dante—"
"Are you hurt? Did he—"
"No. You got here before—" She choked on a sob.
Gunfire erupted downstairs. Viktor's men were coming.
"We need to move. Now." I grabbed her hand. "Can you run?"
She nodded.
We ran.
Out her door. Down the hallway. Behind us, men shouted in Russian.
"The panic room," I said. "We get to Tommy and my men, we have a chance."
"Where is it?"
"Library. Hidden door behind the bookshelf."
We burst into the library. I locked the door behind us. It wouldn't hold long.
I ran to the bookshelf and pulled the hidden lever. The shelf swung open.
"Inside. Go!"
Isabella climbed through. I followed and sealed the door behind us.
Thick steel. Soundproof. They'd never get through.
Tommy and five guards were inside. All armed. All ready.
"Boss!" Tommy grabbed my shoulders. "Thank God. We heard gunshots—"
"Viktor's men took the house. We're trapped." I looked at my guards. "How much ammo do we have?"
"Enough for maybe an hour of fighting."
"Then we fight." I pulled Isabella close. "Stay with Tommy. Don't leave his side."
"What are you going to do?"
"End this."
I went to the panic room's control panel. Every room in the mansion had cameras. Including the ones Viktor's men were in now.
I pulled up the feeds.
Fifteen men. Spread throughout the house. Looking for us.
Viktor stood in my office, on his phone. Probably calling for backup.
"Tommy, I need you to trigger the lockdown protocol."
Tommy's eyes widened. "Boss, that locks every door and window. No one gets in or out."
"Exactly. We trap them inside." I looked at Isabella. She was terrified but trying to be brave. "We either win or we all die here. Your choice."
"Do it," Tommy said immediately.
I hit the button.
Throughout the house, steel shutters slammed down over every window. Every door locked electronically. Emergency lights kicked on.
On the cameras, Viktor's men panicked. Tried the doors. Windows. Nothing opened.
Viktor's face went dark with rage.
"Now," I told my men, "we hunt them room by room. They came into my house. They threatened what's mine." I checked my gun. "They die here."
---
We moved through the secret passages built into the mansion walls.
My father had been paranoid. Built escape routes everywhere. I'd memorized them as a kid.
Now they saved my life.
We emerged behind Viktor's men one by one. Tommy and the guards were efficient. Professional.
Within thirty minutes, we'd taken down ten of them.
Five left. Plus Viktor.
"Boss," Tommy whispered. "Viktor's still in your office. Two guards with him."
"Then that's where we end this."
We moved silently through the passages. Came up behind the office wall.
I could hear Viktor talking. Angry. Desperate.
"—tell Nico the plan failed. Salvatore escaped. We need backup—"
I froze.
Nico.
He said Nico.
Tommy grabbed my arm. "Boss, we knew—"
"I know. But hearing it..." My chest felt hollow.
My best friend. My brother. Really had betrayed me.
"Focus," Tommy hissed. "Deal with Nico later. Viktor now."
He was right.
I kicked open the hidden door.
Viktor spun around. His guards raised their guns—
My men shot them first.
Viktor stood alone now. Unarmed. Trapped.
"Salvatore." He smiled like this was all a game. "Impressive. You're harder to kill than I thought."
"You made a mistake coming here."
"Did I? I accomplished what I wanted."
"What's that?"
"Proving you care about the girl. Proving you have weakness." He laughed. "You think killing me changes anything? I already told everyone. The Ghost has a heart now. Every enemy you have knows it."
He was right. They'd all know.
Isabella would never be safe.
"Where's Nico?" I asked. "Where's my friend who sold me out?"
"Friend?" Viktor's smile widened. "He hates you. Always has. You just never noticed."
"Where. Is. He."
"Waiting for you to die so he can take over." Viktor pulled something from his pocket. Small device with a button. "But since that didn't work, Plan B."
"What's Plan B?"
"Boom."
He pressed the button.
Nothing happened.
Viktor's smile faded. He pressed it again. And again.
"Looking for this?" Tommy held up a circuit board. "Found it an hour ago. Disarmed the whole system."
Viktor's face went pale. "You—"
I shot him.
Not to kill. In the leg. He went down screaming.
"That's for threatening her." I shot his other leg. "That's for breaking into my house." I pressed the gun to his forehead. "And this is for working with Nico."
"Wait—"
I pulled the trigger.
Silence.
My men secured the house. Called in cleanup crew. Within hours, it would look like nothing happened.
That's how this world worked.
I found Isabella in the panic room. Still shaking. Still terrified.
"It's over," I told her. "You're safe."
"That man—Viktor—he said Nico betrayed you. Is that true?"
"Yes."
"What are you going to do?"
"What I should've done years ago." I helped her stand. "But first, I'm getting you out of this house. Somewhere safe until I handle Nico."
"Where?"
"I have a safe house. Secure. Hidden." I touched her bruised face gently. "I'm sorry. This is my fault. I brought you into this world and you got hurt."
"You saved me."
"I shouldn't have had to. You shouldn't have been in danger at all." I pulled away. Couldn't let myself be soft. "Pack a bag. We leave in twenty minutes."
She left.
Tommy found me in the hallway.
"Boss, about Nico—"
"Set up a meeting. Tonight. Just him and me."
"That's a trap—"
"I know. But he's my brother. I owe him a chance to explain before I kill him."
Tommy nodded slowly. "And the girl?"
"She stays at the safe house until this is done. I don't want her anywhere near Nico."
"Boss?" Tommy hesitated. "You're in love with her."
"No."
"Yes, you are. And that's going to get you killed."
Maybe he was right.
But I couldn't stop it now.
Isabella had gotten under my skin. Into my head. Into places I'd locked up twenty years ago.
And that terrified me more than any bullet.
---
Twenty minutes later, we were in the car. Isabella beside me. Tommy driving.
My phone buzzed. Text from Nico.
*Heard you had trouble at the house. Everyone okay?*
I stared at the message. He didn't know Viktor was dead yet. Didn't know his plan failed.
Good.
I typed back: *Fine. We need to talk. Tonight. The warehouse on Fifth.*
*Sure, brother. What's this about?*
*You'll see.*
I put the phone away.
Isabella watched me. "Are you really meeting him?"
"Yes."
"He'll try to kill you."
"Probably."
"Then don't go. Please. Just—just let him leave. Run away. Start over."
I almost smiled. "You don't understand. In my world, betrayal has only one punishment."
"Death."
"Yes."
She was quiet for a long time. Then, softly, "What if he has a good reason? What if—"
"There's no good reason for what he did. He worked with Viktor. Put you in danger. Attacked my home." My voice went cold. "He's already dead. He just doesn't know it yet."
We pulled up to a small house. Ordinary. Forgettable. Perfect.
"This is it," Tommy said. "Security system's military grade. Stocked with food for two weeks. No one knows about this place except us."
I walked Isabella inside. Showed her the bedroom. The panic button. The weapons locker.
"You stay here. Don't leave. Don't call anyone. I'll be back tomorrow."
"And if you don't come back?"
"Then Tommy will take you somewhere safe. New identity. New life. You and your mother."
Tears filled her eyes. "I don't want a new life. I want—"
"What?"
She looked away. "Nothing. It doesn't matter."
But I knew what she was going to say.
She wanted me to survive.
Maybe Tommy was right. Maybe I was in love with her.
Maybe that would get us both killed.
I turned to leave.
"Dante?" Her voice stopped me. "Don't trust him. Nico. Even for a second. He'll use your friendship against you."
"I know."
"Then why meet him at all?"
I looked back at her. This girl who'd stumbled into my world and somehow made me feel again.
"Because despite everything, he's still my brother. And brothers deserve the truth before they die."
I left before she could respond.
In the car, Tommy asked, "You really think Nico will talk? Tell you why?"
"No. I think he'll try to kill me the moment I walk through that door."
"Then why—"
"Because I need to hear it from him. I need to know when he stopped being my friend and became my enemy."
We drove toward the warehouse.
My phone buzzed again. Unknown number.
I opened the message.
A photo. Nico and someone else. Meeting in a dark alley.
I zoomed in on the other person's face.
My blood froze.
It wasn't Viktor.
It was Dr. Sarah Chen.
My therapist.
The only person who knew all my weaknesses. All my fears. Everything.
She'd been feeding information to Nico all along.
The betrayal went deeper than I thought.
And suddenly, I knew.
This wasn't just about power or money.
This was personal.
Someone wanted me destroyed.
Not just killed. Destroyed.
But who? And why?
My phone buzzed again. Same unknown number.
One message: *Look behind you.*
I turned.
A car was following us. Black. Windows tinted.
"Tommy, we've got a tail."
"I see it. Hold on."
The car accelerated. Rammed us from behind.
We spun out. Hit the guardrail. Metal screamed.
"Boss!" Tommy fought for control.
Another car appeared. Boxed us in from the front.
We were trapped.
Doors opened. Men with guns poured out.
And from the front car, one figure emerged.
Tall. Familiar.
Nico.
He walked toward us slowly. Gun in hand. Smiling.
"Hello, brother," he called out. "Glad you could make it. Let's talk about why you have to die."