Chapter 5 - DECLARATION OF WAR
Dawn broke over Boston without sunlight.
The sky was the color of lead.
Rain lashed the steel-reinforced glass of the Lombardi Tower.
Down on the street level, the convoy of delivery vans carrying wedding tiers and white lilies arrived at the Holy Cross Cathedral.
They were turned away by men in dark suits with automatic rifles.
News of the cancellation ripped through the underworld like wildfire.
The Lombardi-Falcone alliance was dead.
The blood feud was reignited.
Inside the penthouse study, Gemma stirred.
Pain flared through her ribs like liquid fire as she tried to turn.
A groan escaped her dry throat.
“Don't move,” a voice said from the shadow beside the bed.
Dante was there.
He wore a dark tactical sweater and shoulder holster.
His hair was uncombed, his dark eyes shadowed with exhaustion.
He held a glass of water with a straw.
He raised it gently to her lips.
“Drink.”
Gemma took two small sips.
The cold water soothed her raw throat.
She looked around the massive bedroom.
The dark wood, the vaulted ceilings, the scent of expensive bourbon and cedar.
She had organized the purchase of this penthouse three years ago.
She had never stepped inside the master suite until now.
“Your wedding...” she whispered.
“There is no wedding,” Dante said.
He set the glass down.
“You called it off?”
“I canceled it the second I saw your blood on my floor.”
Gemma’s heart gave an irregular beat against her bandages.
“Dante, the alliance—”
“Damn the alliance.”
He leaned closer.
His hand rested on the mattress beside her hip.
“They murdered Leo.”
Her breath caught.
“You read the ledger?”
“Every line,” he said.
His eyes burned with an ancient, unforgiving flame.
“They used his murder to corner me.”
“They wanted the southern routes.”
“They wanted to bleed the Lombardi family dry from the inside.”
“And you stopped them, Gemma.”
Tears welled in her eyes.
She blinked them back fiercely.
“They almost killed me, Dante.”
“I was so afraid I wouldn't make it to your office.”
“I thought... I thought you would already be at the rehearsal dinner.”
“I would have searched the earth for you,” he said.
The words were not loud.
They were absolute.
A heavy truth that hung between them, undeniable and raw.
For five years, they had maintained the professional barrier.
He was the Don.
She was the woman who managed his schedule, his secrets, and his silence.
Neither had ever dared to cross the line.
Until blood washed the boundary away.
The radio on Dante’s tactical vest crackled.
Enzo’s voice was tense.
“Boss. We have a problem at the western gate.”
Dante clicked the transmitter.
“What is it?”
“Salvatore Falcone didn't just hire street mercenaries,” Enzo said.
“He called in the Corvo syndicate from New York.”
“Two dozen heavily armed operators just entered the financial district.”
“They’re heading straight for the tower.”
Dante looked down at Gemma.
Her eyes were wide with sudden panic.
“They’re coming here?” she asked.
“Let them,” Dante said.
He stood up, checking the slide on his weapon.
“This tower has survived three federal raids and two mob wars.”
“It will survive tonight.”
Suddenly, the lights flickered.
The hum of the building’s primary generator died.
Red emergency backup lamps flared to life along the baseboards.
A dull boom shook the concrete beneath their feet.
May you like
The parking garage had been breached.
The siege of Lombardi Tower had begun.
