23

The warehouse was chaos. Gunfire echoed through the steel walls, bullets ricocheting off metal beams. My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out the world as I ducked behind a crate, my breath ragged.

Dante crouched beside me, his gun drawn, his expression carved from stone. “Stay close.”

I nodded, my fingers tightening around the grip of my weapon. My father was somewhere in this mess, and I wasn’t leaving without him.

Luca’s voice crackled through the earpiece. “We’ve got movement on the east exit. They’re trying to pull out.”

Dante exhaled sharply. “Not happening.”

He turned to me, eyes sharp. “Can you handle yourself?”

I scoffed, lifting my gun. “Try me.”

His smirk was quick, almost approving. “Then let’s end this.”

We moved fast, cutting through the wreckage of Gabriel’s men. Every step was precise, every shot calculated.

I wasn’t just following Dante—I was fighting beside him.

And for the first time, I didn’t feel like I was just surviving.

I was winning.

Dante took down a man to my left, his movements fluid, effortless. I caught another one raising his weapon and fired without hesitation. He dropped instantly, his gun clattering to the floor.

Dante shot me a look. “Nice.”

I shrugged. “Told you.”

His smirk widened. “Keep proving me right, Olivia.”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t stop moving.

Because at the far end of the warehouse, through the chaos of gunfire and smoke.

I saw my father.

Tied to a chair. Weak. But alive.

And standing beside him, gun pressed against his temple.

Was Gabriel.

My stomach twisted.

“Dante,” I whispered.

He followed my gaze, his smirk vanishing. “I see him.”

Gabriel met my eyes across the distance, his expression infuriatingly calm. “You’re making a habit of ruining my plans, Olivia.”

I lifted my gun. “Get used to it.”

Gabriel chuckled. “Brave. But stupid.”

Dante stepped forward, his voice like ice. “Let him go.”

Gabriel tilted his head. “And why would I do that?”

Dante’s smirk returned. But this time, it was dangerous. “Because you’re running out of time.”

Gabriel’s gaze flickered, just for a second.

And that second was all Dante needed.

He moved fast. Too fast. A single shot rang out.

And Gabriel stumbled back, clutching his arm, his gun dropping to the floor.

I didn’t hesitate.

I ran to my father, my hands shaking as I untied him. “Dad. Look at me.”

His eyes fluttered open. “Liv…”

Tears burned my eyes, but I blinked them away. “I’ve got you.”

I heard footsteps behind me.

Dante.

His gun was still raised, his expression unreadable as he stared at Gabriel, who was slumped against the wall, breathing heavily, blood staining his sleeve.

Gabriel exhaled a laugh, shaking his head. “You think you’ve won?”

Dante didn’t blink. “No. But you lost.”

Gabriel’s smirk didn’t fade. “Then kill me.”

The air went still.

I turned, my breath catching. “Dante.”

He didn’t move.

Didn’t lower his gun.

Gabriel grinned. “Do it. Prove you’re exactly what they say you are.”

Dante’s grip on the gun tightened.

I stood, stepping closer. “Dante. Don’t.”

His jaw clenched.

Gabriel’s smirk widened. “See? She still thinks you’re the hero.”

Dante inhaled sharply.

And then...

He lowered the gun.

Gabriel blinked, almost surprised.

Dante stepped forward, his voice quiet, lethal. “You’re not worth the bullet.”

Gabriel’s smirk faltered. Just slightly.

Dante turned, his gaze meeting mine. “We’re done here.”

I exhaled, my body sagging with relief.

We were leaving.

We were finally leaving.

The drive back was silent.

My father was stable, his head resting against the seat beside me. I kept my fingers wrapped around his, grounding myself in the fact that he was here. That he was safe.

Dante sat in the front, staring out the window, his expression unreadable.

He hadn’t killed Gabriel.

And I wasn’t sure if that was mercy.

Or a warning.

I exhaled shakily, leaning my head back against the seat.

For now, we had won.

But I knew better than to think this was over.

Because Gabriel was still breathing.

And that meant the war was far from finished.

The drive back to the safe house was heavy with silence. The war wasn’t over, but we had survived another battle. My father was breathing beside me, weak but alive. That should have been enough.

But it wasn’t.

Dante sat in the front seat, fingers tapping against his knee, his face carved from stone. He hadn’t said a word since we left Gabriel behind, bleeding but breathing. That choice haunted me.

Dante never left loose ends.

And yet, tonight, he had.

I turned my head toward my father, watching his chest rise and fall in shallow breaths. He had barely spoken since I cut him loose, exhaustion and pain weighing him down. But he was alive.

That was all that mattered.

For now.

Luca pulled the SUV through the secured gates of the safe house, the tension inside the car thick enough to strangle me. I exhaled, gripping the door handle. The second the engine cut off, Dante was out of the car, slamming the door behind him, his posture rigid.

I hesitated, glancing at my father. His eyes opened slightly, heavy-lidded with exhaustion. “Liv…”

I squeezed his hand. “I’ll be back.”

He nodded weakly, his fingers barely tightening around mine before I slipped out of the car, the cold air biting at my skin.

Dante was already inside.

I followed.

I found him in the study, standing near the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a drink. He didn’t look up when I entered.

“I know what you’re going to say,” he muttered, swirling the amber liquid in his glass.

I crossed my arms. “Do you?”

He smirked, but there was no humor in it. “You think I should have killed him.”

I stepped closer, my pulse steady. “You always finish what you start.”

Dante finally looked at me, his gray eyes unreadable. “And you think I didn’t?”

I swallowed hard. “You let him go.”

His smirk widened slightly, but it was sharp, dangerous. “No, Olivia. I let him *live*.”

A chill ran down my spine.

He took a slow sip of his drink, his gaze never leaving mine. “Gabriel isn’t the type of man you kill and forget about. He’s the type you make suffer.”

I inhaled sharply. “You think he won’t come back for us?”

Dante set his glass down with a soft *clink*. “I’m counting on it.”

I exhaled, frustration curling in my chest. “Dante.”

He stepped toward me, closing the space between us. “Killing him would have been *easy*.” His voice dropped lower, sending a shiver through me. “But breaking him? That takes time.”

I swallowed hard, my pulse betraying me. “And what if we don’t have time?”

His fingers brushed against my wrist, a barely-there touch, but enough to make my breath hitch. “Then we make it.”

I hated how much I believed him.

How much I *trusted* him.

Dante Castelli was not a good man.

But he was *my* devil now.

And I wasn’t sure I wanted to escape him.

The next morning, the world felt different.

Quieter.

More dangerous.

My father was stable, resting in the medical suite. Dante had left him under constant guard, knowing that Moretti’s death and Gabriel’s escape meant one thing—our enemies weren’t done.

Neither were we.

I found Dante in the main room, standing at the head of a table covered in files, maps, and surveillance photos. Luca stood beside him, muttering something under his breath. The second I stepped inside, their conversation stopped.

Dante’s gaze flickered to me. “You should be resting.”

I ignored him, stepping closer. “I want in.”

Luca exhaled a quiet laugh. “Of course you do.”

Dante didn’t smile. He studied me, something unreadable in his expression. “This isn’t a game, Olivia.”

“I know that.”

His jaw clenched. “Then you know what happens next.”

I did.

Moretti was gone, but Gabriel had been waiting in the shadows. He hadn’t come out of nowhere. He had *planned* this.

Dante wasn’t just going to kill him.

He was going to dismantle *everything* Gabriel had built.

And I was going to help him.

I reached for the nearest file, flipping it open. “Where do we start?”

Dante’s smirk returned, slow, lethal. “We start by burning his world to the ground.”

Luca shook his head. “You’re enjoying this too much.”

Dante’s gaze locked onto mine. “You should be asking yourself why *she* is.”

I didn’t flinch.

I didn’t deny it.

Because maybe Dante wasn’t the only one who had changed.

Maybe I wasn’t the same woman who had walked into his world weeks ago.

And maybe...

I didn’t *want* to be.

The first strike was subtle.

Gabriel had hidden himself well, but Dante’s men were faster.

His offshore accounts? Frozen.

His shipments? Seized.

His allies? Turning on him one by one.

We watched from the sidelines as his empire started to crumble.

But we weren’t just attacking his business.

We were coming for *him*.

Dante sat at the head of the table, watching the chaos unfold through surveillance feeds and intercepted calls. His smirk was razor-sharp, his control absolute.

Luca leaned against the table, shaking his head. “He’s running scared.”

Dante hummed, tapping his fingers against the wood. “Not scared enough.”

I exhaled. “Then we push harder.”

Luca glanced at me. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

I tilted my head, considering. “I enjoy *winning*.”

Dante chuckled, low and approving.

And maybe that should have scared me.

But it didn’t.

Because for the first time, I wasn’t afraid of this world.

I was *owning* it.

It took less than a week for Gabriel to crack.

A desperate man is a dangerous man.

And when Dante received the message.

A single address. A challenge.

I knew this was it.

The final move.

The end.

We loaded into the SUVs, dressed in black, weapons strapped to our sides. Dante sat beside me, his fingers tapping against his thigh.

I turned to him. “You ready?”

His smirk was slow, deliberate. “I was born ready.”

Luca’s voice came through the earpiece. “We’ve got eyes on him. No backup in sight.”

Dante exhaled, rolling his shoulders. “Then let’s finish this.”

I tightened my grip on my gun, my heart steady.

Because tonight...

Gabriel’s world was going up in flames.

And I was going to watch it burn.