Chapter 7 - Reckoning
The war with Marco Valenti didn't last a month. It lasted forty-eight hours.
Victor didn't wait for a retaliatory strike. By sunrise the following morning, he had mobilized every asset, every soldier, and every corrupt official in his network.
Valenti’s warehouses were raided by federal agents on Victor’s payroll. His private accounts were frozen. And by midnight of the second day, Marco Valenti was put on a boat departing Chicago’s harbor, stripped of his empire, his fortune, and his territory, warned that if he ever set foot in Illinois again, his life would end in seconds.
While the city's underworld shook with the thunder of Victor’s wrath, Chloe sat in the waiting room of Chicago Presbyterian Hospital.
The heavy double doors opened, and Dr. Vance stepped out, wearing blue scrubs, pulling off his surgical mask.
Chloe jumped up from her chair, her heart in her throat. “Doctor? How is he?”
Dr. Vance smiled—a warm, genuine expression that instantly lifted a thousand pounds of dread from Chloe’s chest. “The transplant was an absolute success, Miss Bennett. The donor kidney was a perfect match. Tommy is in recovery, his vitals are completely stable, and the doctors expect a full, uncompromised recovery.”
Chloe collapsed back into her chair, covering her face with her hands, letting out a ragged, sob of pure, unadulterated joy.
Two warm, powerful hands settled onto her shoulders from behind.
She looked up. Victor stood over her. He looked exhausted, his dark suit slightly rumpled, his jaw dark with stubble, but his eyes were bright as he looked down at her.
“He’s going to live, Victor,” Chloe sobbed, standing up and throwing her arms around his waist. “He’s going to be okay!”
Victor wrapped his long arms around her, holding her so tightly she could barely breathe, burying his face in her soft hair. “I know,” he whispered gently. “I told you I’d take care of it.”
“How can I ever repay you?” she wept against his chest. “How can I ever give you back what you’ve given us?”
May you like
Victor pulled back slightly, his thumbs wiping the warm tears from her cheeks. He looked down at her face with a tenderness that transformed his harsh, dangerous features into something breathtakingly beautiful.
“You’ve already paid me, Chloe,” Victor said softly. “You gave me a home. You gave me peace.”
