Chapter 7 - the shadow on the terrace
Dante walked up the grand staircase with heavy, deliberate steps, stopping two feet away from Sofia. The dark dragon tattoo on his neck seemed to come alive in the dim light.
"You called Victor Falcone tonight, didn't you, Sofia?" Dante asked, his voice deceptively soft, carrying a threat more dangerous than a loaded gun.
Sofia backed away, her hands shaking as she clutched her diamond necklace. "Dante... please! You don't understand! Falcone threatened my son! He said he would kill him if I didn't give him updates on the family trusts!"
"You betrayed your own blood for money and fear," Dante said, his dark eyes showing no mercy. "You let my sister rot in a Falcone cell for eight months while you spent her money."
"I didn't know she was alive until eight months ago!" Sofia sobbed, dropping to her knees on the polished floor. "When Elena reached out to the estate, Falcone intercepted her! I was terrified of what would happen if you found out!"
Vincent stepped up behind her, placing heavy steel handcuffs around Sofia's wrists. "Where is Victor Falcone holding Elena right now?" Vincent demanded.
"She's not at Dock 14!" Sofia confessed frantically, weeping out loud. "That's a ambush setup! Falcone is holding Elena in the subterranean cellar beneath the old Saint Mark's Monastery in West Chicago!"
Dante turned around, looking down at his chief bodyguard. "Prepare the strike team. Twenty men, heavy gear, silenced weapons. We move on Saint Mark's Monastery in twenty minutes."
"Right away, Boss," Vincent nodded, dragging Sofia down the stairs toward the holding cell.
Dante returned to the master guest suite. Alina was waiting near the window, her face pale with worry.
"Dante! What happened?" she asked, rushing over to him.
Dante took her hands into his broad, warm palms. "Your mother is alive, Alina."
May you like
Tears immediately welled in Alina's brown eyes, spilling over her cheeks. "She's... she's alive? Where is she?"
"She's being held in an old monastery in the city," Dante said softly, wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "I am going to bring her home tonight. I promise you on my life."
