Chapter 4 - The Unlikely Alliance
Vanessa let out a sharp, terrified scream.
She dropped the heavy silver hard drive onto the dusty Persian rug.
Dante instantly raised his suppressed pistol and aimed it directly at her chest.
"Don't shoot her!" I yelled, stepping recklessly in front of the gun barrel.
Vanessa was trembling violently, her expensive red dress completely ruined by thick mud and cold rain.
"How did you possibly know about this place?" Dante demanded coldly, keeping his weapon raised.
Vanessa fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably into her hands.
"Roman talks in his sleep when he drinks," she choked out through her tears.
She looked up at me, her dark mascara running heavily down her pale cheeks.
"I don't actually want him, Evelyn."
I stared down at the young girl who had worn my ancestral ring just a few chaotic hours ago.
"He is actively blackmailing my father with absolute political ruin," she confessed, her voice breaking.
"I only stole the drive to buy my family's freedom back."
I slowly knelt down and picked up the cold silver drive from the floor.
It contained the undeniable key to destroying Roman Castellano forever.
"If you take that back to your father, Roman will brutally kill you both," Dante warned without any sympathy.
Vanessa buried her face back in her trembling hands.
"He is going to kill me anyway."
I looked back at Dante, a completely crazy, desperate plan rapidly forming in my mind.
"We take her with us," I said firmly, clutching the drive to my chest.
Dante slowly lowered his weapon, his sharp jaw clenched in clear frustration.
"She is a massive liability to our survival, Evelyn."
"She is the governor's daughter," I countered logically.
"Roman cannot casually kill us if we hold her as valuable collateral."
Dante stared at me for a long, tense moment before finally nodding his agreement.
He reached down and roughly hauled Vanessa back to her feet.
"We need to move before Roman's tracking team pings her cellular signal."
We hurried back down the dark, creaking hallway toward the rear kitchen exit.
Dante pushed the back door open and stepped out cautiously into the heavy rain.
A blinding, massive spotlight instantly snapped on, illuminating the entire rear courtyard.
A dozen heavily armed men stepped deliberately out of the deep shadows.
Standing proudly at the front of the pack was Silas, Roman's most ruthless enforcer.
May you like
He smiled wickedly, racking the heavy slide of his automatic rifle.
"Mr. Castellano sends his warmest regards."
