Chapter 13 - REUNION IN THE CROSSFIRE
By 3:00 AM, Dante’s private jet touched down at O'Hare tarmac.
His armored SUV was waiting on the runway with engines idling.
Within twenty minutes, Dante burst through the front doors of the Moretti mansion, his tactical vest secured over a black turtleneck, his face set in a mask of lethal fury.
“Elena!” he called out, striding through the grand foyer.
I stepped out from the library, holding the polaroid and the note in my hand.
Dante stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes darting to my coat and the slight bulge in the pocket.
“Where is security?” Dante demanded, his voice echoing off the stone walls. “Why aren't you in the panic room?”
“Because hiding didn't work last time,” I said, walking toward him with steady steps. “And if you think I’m going to sit in a steel box while someone hunts my mother, you don't know me at all.”
Dante stared at me for a long, tense moment.
Instead of yelling, a dark, fierce smirk touched the corner of his lips.
“I married a killer,” he murmured, shaking his head.
“You married a Carter,” I replied. “There’s a difference.”
He stepped forward, taking the polaroid from my hand and crushing it in his fist.
“The Viper Syndicate,” Dante said, his voice dropping to a low growl. “Led by Viktor Vance. A ghost from my father’s era who thinks he can carve up my territory while I’m distracted.”
“Where is he?” I asked.
“An abandoned shipping warehouse down by the South Chicago docks,” Dante replied, sliding his hand into his tactical holster. “He wanted to draw me out on his turf.”
“Then let’s go give him what he wants.”
Dante’s dark eyes locked onto mine.
“This isn't a board meeting, Elena. bullets fly fast down at the docks.”
“Good,” I said, pulling the Walther pistol out of my coat pocket and checking the safety. “I’m a great shot.”
May you like
Dante let out a sharp breath that sounded almost like a laugh of sheer disbelief and admiration.
“Fine,” he said, pulling me close for a single, crushing kiss before drawing his own weapon. “Let’s go hunt a viper.”
