Chapter 5 - The Loyal Beast
Elena squinted against the harsh light, raising her hands defensively.
Dante stood there with his gun drawn, aimed directly at her chest.
He took one step into the room and finally saw the body on the floor.
His cold, professional demeanor shattered instantly.
"What did you do?" he roared, closing the distance between them in three massive strides.
"I didn't do this!" Elena cried, scrambling backward until she hit the metal shelves.
"I just found her like this, I swear to God, Dante!"
He grabbed her roughly by the collar of her uniform, pulling her to her feet.
"You expect me to believe you just magically stumbled upon another dead body?"
Elena shoved her fist forward, pressing the object she had found into his chest.
"Look at what she was holding!"
Dante snatched the object from her hand and looked down at his palm.
The broken gold lion cufflink gleamed under the kitchen lights.
The color completely drained from Dante's face.
"Only blood relatives wear the family crest," Dante whispered to himself.
He realized in that exact moment that Elena was merely a pawn in a much bigger game.
The inner circle of the mafia family was severely compromised.
He let go of her uniform and quickly holstered his weapon.
"We need to move right now," Dante ordered, his voice dropping to a frantic whisper.
He grabbed Elena's arm and dragged her toward the servant stairs.
"Where are we going?" she gasped, struggling to keep up with his long strides.
"To get your daughter and the dog."
"This house is no longer safe for any of us."
They rushed up to the third floor, bursting into the guest room just as Titan let out a low growl.
Sophia rubbed her tired eyes, sitting up in the large bed.
"Mommy, what is wrong?"
"We have to leave this room, baby," Elena said, scooping the child into her arms.
Dante led them through a hidden door behind the library bookshelves, descending into a secret safe room built into the bedrock.
The steel reinforced door hissed shut behind them, locking with heavy mechanical bolts.
"We stay here until I figure out who betrayed us," Dante explained, checking the camera feeds on the wall monitor.
Suddenly, the secure radio on his belt crackled to life with a static hiss.
"Dante, it's Reynolds."
Dante snatched the radio.
"Go ahead, Doc."
"He is awake," Reynolds reported, his voice shaking with obvious tension.
"Adrian is completely conscious, but there is a major problem."
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Dante leaned closer to the speaker.
"He does not remember anything that happened this morning."
