Chapter 4 - WHEN THE PREDATOR MEETS THE PREY
The guest room smelled of lavender and old paper.
A maid had left fresh clothes on the velvet armchair.
I stared at my reflection in the gilded bathroom mirror.
My eyes were dark with exhaustion, but the fear had hardened into something else.
Anger.
Survival.
I changed into a silk blouse and dark trousers that fit surprisingly well.
Stepping out into the hallway, I heard raised voices coming from Dante's study.
“She’s a liability, Boss!” a harsh voice argued.
“Vitelli is using her to draw us out into the open!”
“Let him try,” Dante’s voice cut through like broken glass.
“Emma stays right here where I can watch her.”
I pressed my back against the cold wall outside the study.
My breath caught in my throat.
To Dante, I wasn't just a hostage or an innocent bystander anymore.
I was bait.
A calculated risk in his war against the Vitelli family.
Suddenly, the study door swung open.
A scarred enforcer glared down at me.
“Boss wants to see you in the study, Miss Chase.”
I squared my shoulders and walked past him into the dimly lit room.
Dante stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring out at the dark lake.
“Did you hear them?” Dante asked without turning around.
“Word for word,” I answered steadily.
He turned to face me, his gray eyes piercing straight through my defenses.
“Aren't you terrified?”
“I was terrified when I couldn't pay my mother's medical bills,” I whispered, stepping closer.
“Being kidnapped by mafia bosses is just a logical escalation.”
A rare, dangerous smile touched the corner of Dante’s lips.
“You have iron in your spine, Emma.”
“Let’s see if it holds when Vitelli makes his next move.”
Before I could answer, a massive explosion shook the estate.
Alarms wailed across the courtyard.
Glass shattered downstairs.
May you like
Dante grabbed my hand.
“They found us,” he hissed.
