Chapter 7 - The Ransom Video
The terrible sight of Leo crying on the screen made my stomach twist into painful, sickening knots.
Dante walked slowly toward the monitor, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were completely white.
David adjusted the camera angle, revealing the cold, rusted interior of an abandoned shipyard warehouse.
"I must admit, Salvatore, stealing an apex predator's cub is truly terrifying work," David sneered through the speakers.
"The Moretti family sends their absolute highest regards, along with a rather specific and non-negotiable ultimatum."
Leo sniffled loudly, calling out for his father in a small, broken voice that made hot tears stream down my face.
"If you want the boy back in one piece, you will come to Pier Forty-Two completely unarmed," David demanded.
"You have exactly one hour to surrender your life in exchange for his."
The video feed abruptly cut to black, leaving the destroyed panic room in a heavy, suffocating silence.
Dante turned around, his handsome face completely devoid of any recognizable human emotion.
He was no longer a grieving father; he was the most dangerous, ruthless mafia boss on the entire eastern seaboard.
"Prepare every single man we have left," Dante ordered Silas, who was already bandaging his own shoulder with one hand.
"We are going to burn the entire waterfront to the ground tonight."
He looked at me, pointing a stern, unwavering finger toward a secondary safe room hidden behind a bookshelf.
"You will stay in there until this is over, Clara, because I cannot afford to lose you too."
He turned his broad back and marched down the hallway to prepare for a war he fully intended to win.
I stood perfectly still until the sound of his heavy footsteps completely faded away into the distance.
May you like
I knew David better than anyone else in the world, and I knew he always laid a secondary trap for his enemies.
I grabbed a discarded pistol from one of the fallen intruders and quietly slipped out the back door toward the garage.
