Chapter 15 - A Dangerous Truce
The estate spent the next forty-eight hours on lockdown, bracing for the inevitable retaliation.
Dante turned the formal dining room into a war room, covering the mahogany table with blueprints and tactical maps.
I refused to stay hidden in the nursery, bringing Leo down in a carrier strapped to my chest so I could listen to the plans.
Dante’s capos argued loudly, suggesting everything from a full-frontal assault to fleeing the country.
"Alexei is cowardly, but he is not stupid," Dante told his men, silencing the room with a single look.
"He knows our defenses are too strong for another frontal attack."
"He will try to force a parley, a negotiation on neutral ground, where he can trap us."
Right on cue, a burner phone resting on the center of the table buzzed loudly.
Marco answered it, listened for a moment, and put the call on speaker.
"Dante Russo," Alexei Volkov’s smooth voice drifted from the speaker, laced with dark amusement.
"I believe we have a mutual problem."
"My only problem is that you are still breathing, Alexei," Dante replied coldly.
"Let's be reasonable," Alexei continued, ignoring the threat.
"I want the territory Elena promised me, and I want the false twin handed over to me."
"In exchange, I will let you and your son walk away."
Dante’s hand drifted to his gun, his knuckles turning white.
"I do not negotiate with dead men," Dante snarled.
"Then I will burn your city to the ground, block by block, until you have nowhere left to hide," Alexei promised.
"Meet me tonight at the abandoned shipyard on the docks."
"Bring the girl, or the war begins at midnight."
The line went dead, leaving a suffocating silence in its wake.
"It's a trap, Boss," Marco warned immediately.
"He will have snipers stationed on every crane."
Dante ran a hand through his dark hair, the weight of the crown heavy upon his head.
I stepped up to the table, adjusting the sleeping baby against my chest.
"Then we use the trap against him," I said, surprising myself with the steadiness of my own voice.
Every dangerous man in the room turned to look at the waitress in their midst.
"What are you suggesting, Mara?" Dante asked, his eyes narrowing with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
"Alexei has never actually seen me in person," I pointed out.
"He thinks I am just a frightened civilian, a copy of the weapon he created."
I looked Dante right in the eyes, ignoring the collective gasp from his men.
"I will go to the meeting with you."
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"But I will not go as Mara."
"I will go as Elena."
