24

The night was thick with anticipation as we approached the abandoned estate on the outskirts of the city. Gabriel had chosen his battleground, but he had made a fatal mistake—he had underestimated Dante Castelli.

I sat in the backseat of the SUV, my gun resting in my lap, my fingers tightening around the grip. The past few weeks had changed me. I wasn’t the woman I had been when I first stepped into this world. I wasn’t afraid of what we were about to do. I wasn’t afraid of who I was becoming.

Dante sat beside me, his expression unreadable, his body thrumming with controlled tension. He had been waiting for this moment. The final move. The last game piece.

Luca’s voice crackled in my earpiece. “We’ve got confirmation. He’s inside. No visible backup, but I don’t trust it.”

Dante smirked. “Good. I’d be disappointed if it was too easy.”

I exhaled, forcing my mind to focus. This wasn’t just revenge anymore. This was war. Gabriel had sent a message when he took my father. Tonight, we sent one back.

Dante turned to me, his voice low. “You don’t hesitate.”

I met his gaze. “I won’t.”

A flicker of something dark passed through his expression before he nodded. “Let’s move.”

The estate was quiet. Too quiet.

Dante’s men spread out, weapons drawn, sweeping the perimeter with lethal efficiency. Luca gestured for us to move in, and I followed Dante through the side entrance, my heart steady, my focus sharp.

Inside, the air was stale, the scent of dust and gunpowder clinging to the walls. I tightened my grip on my gun, scanning the shadows. Every instinct told me something was wrong.

Gabriel wasn’t the type to wait for death.

Which meant...

Dante stiffened beside me. “It’s a trap.”

I barely had time to react before the first shots rang out.

Gunfire erupted, bullets slicing through the darkness. Dante grabbed my wrist, yanking me behind cover as men flooded into the room.

Luca’s voice was sharp in my ear. “They were waiting for us.”

No shit.

Dante moved fast, firing off calculated shots, his movements smooth and precise. I lifted my gun, forcing my breathing steady, taking out a man who lunged toward us.

Blood sprayed the wall behind him.

Dante turned, his smirk sharp. “Told you not to hesitate.”

I rolled my eyes, ducking as another round of bullets ricocheted above my head. “Not the time, Castelli.”

His chuckle was low, dangerous. “It’s always the time.”

I shoved him forward. “Move.”

We pushed through the chaos, bodies dropping around us. Dante’s men were winning. But this wasn’t over. Not yet.

Not until Gabriel was dead.

We reached the second floor, the hallway stretching before us, doors lining the walls.

Dante exhaled sharply. “He’s here.”

I swallowed hard. “How do you know?”

His smirk was slow, lethal. “Because he wants me to find him.”

That sent a chill down my spine.

I lifted my gun. “Then let’s not disappoint him.”

Dante chuckled. “That’s my girl.”

I didn’t have time to process the way my stomach flipped at those words.

Because the door at the end of the hall creaked open.

And Gabriel stepped out.

He looked unbothered. Unrushed. As if he hadn’t just led his men into a slaughter. His suit was crisp, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

“Dante,” he greeted smoothly. “Took you long enough.”

Dante’s gun didn’t waver. “You should have run while you had the chance.”

Gabriel chuckled, taking a slow sip of his drink. “And miss the grand finale?”

My fingers tightened around my weapon, rage curling in my chest. “You set us up.”

Gabriel’s eyes flickered to me, amusement dancing in their depths. “Oh, Olivia. You still think this is about you?”

I clenched my teeth. “You tried to kill my father.”

He sighed. “Tried? No. If I had wanted him dead, he’d be dead.”

Dante’s jaw tightened. “Then what was the point?”

Gabriel’s smirk widened. “To remind you that you’re not the only one who knows how to play this game.”

Dante moved so fast I barely registered it.

One second he was standing beside me.

The next, he had Gabriel pinned against the wall, his gun pressed under his jaw.

Gabriel exhaled a laugh. “There’s the Castelli I know.”

Dante’s voice was a growl. “Give me a reason to pull the trigger.”

Gabriel’s grin didn’t fade. “Because you want to.”

Silence.

My heart pounded.

Dante didn’t move.

Didn’t blink.

And for the first time since I had met him, I saw hesitation in his eyes.

Not fear.

Something else.

Something darker.

Gabriel saw it too. “You kill me, Castelli, and another man takes my place. That’s how this world works. You know that.”

Dante’s grip tightened on the gun. “Maybe.”

His smirk was razor-sharp. “But none of them will be you.”

And then...

Dante pulled the trigger.

The shot was deafening.

Gabriel slumped, his body hitting the ground with a thud.

Dante exhaled, lowering his gun, his shoulders rising and falling with slow, controlled breaths.

I swallowed hard, my pulse still racing.

Luca stepped into the doorway, scanning the scene before nodding once. “It’s done.”

Dante didn’t respond.

He turned, his gaze locking onto mine.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Because we both knew...

This wasn’t just the end of Gabriel.

This was the end of us.

The last thread tying me to my old life was gone.

There was no going back now.

I exhaled, stepping closer. “Dante…”

His fingers brushed against my cheek, his voice rough. “You were right.”

I frowned. “About what?”

His smirk was faint, but his eyes burned into mine. “You were never meant to escape this world.”

I swallowed.

And then...

His lips crashed against mine.

It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle.

It was possession.

It was surrender.

I melted into him, my fingers curling into his shirt, his grip tightening on my waist like he would never let go.

And maybe he wouldn’t.

Because I wasn’t running anymore.

I was exactly where I was meant to be.