Chapter 6 - Fire at the Docks
The night sky over Palermo Harbor glowed an angry, bruised orange. Plumes of thick black smoke billowed into the atmosphere, smelling of burning timber, ruined cargo, and scorched oil. Sirens wailed in the distance, but down at Pier 4, the only law that mattered belonged to the men in dark suits standing quietly beside sleek black vehicles.
Mary stood by the window of Liam’s private study, watching the distant fire through high-powered binoculars. Enzo had strictly forbidden her from leaving the villa, but she refused to sit idly while a war erupted around her. The door swung open, and Liam walked in. He looked exhausted, his shirt stained with soot and salt water, his knuckles bruised and scraped. He dropped his leather gloves onto the desk and poured himself a glass of whiskey without speaking.
"Was anyone hurt?" Mary asked quietly, lowering the binoculars.
"Two guards in the storage facility," Liam answered, his voice raspy and controlled. "They got out with minor burns, but the shipment of imported electronics and luxury goods is completely destroyed. It was a direct message from Salvatore Lucchesi. He wants a seat at our shipping table, and he's willing to burn half the city to get it."
"And what are you going to do?"
Liam took a slow sip of whiskey, his dark eyes fixing on the empty wall across the room. "I am going to remind Salvatore Lucchesi why his family hasn't held power in Palermo for fifty years."
Liam walked over to the desk, pulled open a locked drawer, and retrieved a heavy steel key and a leather-bound ledger. He tossed the ledger onto the desk in front of Mary.
"What is this?"
"Your grandfather's records," Liam said. "The history of every alliance, every betrayal, and every secret deal made in this city. Your mother was supposed to inherit a share of these shipping ports before she ran away. The Lucchesi family knows that your return could legally shift voting control on our board of directors. That's why they burned the warehouse. They aren't just fighting for shipping routes, Mary. They are trying to eliminate any bloodline claim you have to this empire."
Mary stared at the worn leather ledger, her breath catching in her throat. "My mother gave up her birthright to live a normal life in Rome. And now they're dragging me into it because of a name I didn't even know I had."
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"You were dragged into this the moment you stepped off the plane," Liam said softly, closing the distance between them. "But you are a Salvatore, Mary. You don't run from a fight. You finish it."
His words hung heavily in the air, wrapping around her heart with a strange, undeniable magnetism. She looked up into his dark, unyielding eyes, realizing with sudden clarity that the line between fear and desire had completely vanished.
