Chapter 9 - The Trap at the Docks and the Betrayal Within
The revelation within the silver journal acted like a catalyst, setting into motion a dangerous game of cat and mouse that could no longer be contained within the silent halls of the estate. Dante’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked furiously along his sharp jawline as he read the name Vance scrawled across the ledger’s darkest confession. "She’s been selling our shipping routes to the Moretti syndicate for months, using the old blood feud as a smokescreen to cover her financial embezzlement," Dante growled, slamming his fist against the mahogany desk with a force that made baby Leo stir in his sleep. Alina pulled the ledger closer to her chest, feeling the sheer gravity of the storm they had unleased. "If Madame Vance realizes we have this ledger, she’ll do whatever it takes to eliminate us—both me and the baby," Alina said, her voice steadying as survival instinct overrode her fear. Dante looked down at her, his dark eyes softening with an unexpected, profound intensity that caught her completely off guard. "Which is why we are going to use her greed against her," Dante replied coldly, his tactical mind shifting into absolute commander mode. "Viktor has intercepted a message meant for the Moretti syndicate: Vance is meeting their primary enforcer tonight at Pier 44 to hand over the warehouse security codes in exchange for safe passage out of the country." Alina’s breath hitched. "You're going to trap her?" "I'm going to finish a war that started twenty-five years ago," Dante corrected, stepping closer and reaching out to gently touch her shoulder—a rare, grounding gesture of human connection. "You and Leo will stay here in the fortified panic room under armed guard while I handle the docks." "No," Alina said instantly, standing up to face him eye-to-eye, refusing to be sidelined like a fragile antique. "My mother’s blood is in that ledger, and my family’s name is tied to every page of that betrayal. I’m going with you, Dante." The use of his first name hung heavily in the confined space of the library, heavy with intimacy and defiance. Dante stared at her for a long, agonizing moment, searching her resolute brown eyes for any sign of hesitation, before letting out a sharp breath of surrender. "If you come, you stay behind me every single second. Understood?" Alina nodded firmly, her heart racing not just with terror, but with the fierce, undeniable thrill of fighting back alongside the most dangerous man in the city.
