Chapter 4
He took one look at Vogle, then at Bianca standing defiant and unharmed in the center of the room.
Dante moved faster than a human should.
He crossed the room, grabbed Vogle by the throat, and slammed him into the wall with enough force to crack the plaster.
He disarmed the German crime lord in a fluid second, tossing the pistol aside. "You dared to enter my home!"
Dante growled, his voice vibrating with demonic fury. "You dared to come near her!"
Vogle choked, spitting blood onto Dante's shirt. "You think she loves you, Costa? She is just a piece of trash.
You are a fool for a fat pig." Dante did not shout. He did not argue.
He calmly pulled a combat knife from his belt.
"Apologize to my queen," Dante whispered, pressing the blade under Vogle's chin. Vogle gasped, his eyes widening in pure terror.
"I'm sorry." Dante's expression remained entirely blank. "Apology not accepted."
With a brutal, fluid motion, Dante ended the threat of Brett Vogle forever.
He let the body drop to the floor, turning his back on it as if it were nothing but garbage.
He dropped the knife and walked toward Bianca. The adrenaline was fading, and her hands began to shake.
Dante pulled her into his chest, wrapping his massive arms around her, burying his face in her hair.
He held her so tightly she could barely breathe, but she did not care.
She wrapped her arms around his waist, grounding him, pulling him back from the edge of his violent darkness.
"I've got you," she whispered against his chest. "I'm right here."
Dante pulled back slightly, framing her face with his bloodstained hands.
He looked at her softly rounded cheeks, her fierce hazel eyes, her thick, beautiful body that had fought like a lioness to protect what was theirs.
"No one will ever want you," he repeated his own cruel words from a lifetime ago, his voice breaking with emotion.
"I was the biggest fool on this earth, Bianca, because I do not just want you, I need you.
You are my strength. You are my sanity. You are the only ruler of the Costa Syndicate. Will you stay?
Will you rule this city by my side?"
Bianca looked at the ruthless mafia boss who was entirely at her mercy.
A slow, confident smile spread across her face. "On one condition," she said, her tone absolute.
"You never criticize my sweaters again." Dante let out a breathless, broken laugh, crashing his lips down onto hers.
May you like
It was a kiss sealed in blood, smoke, and an unyielding promise.
The untouchable predator had finally met his match, and the Chicago underworld would never be the same again.
