Chapter 8 - Blood and Loyalty
Outside the burning warehouse, Audrey stood near the SUV, ignoring Dante’s repeated orders to get back inside. Her eyes were glued to the entrance, tears of ash and terror running down her cheeks.
"He’s been in there too long," she whispered.
"The boss knows how to survive," Dante said, his hands resting on his belt. But there was a strange, watchful gleam in his eyes. He checked his watch. "If he doesn't come out in two minutes, I’m taking control of the perimeter."
"He’s coming out!" Audrey cried, pointing.
Through the thick wall of smoke and flame, a tall figure emerged. Sebastian walked slowly, dragging his left leg, his clothes scorched, carrying the iron lockbox under one arm.
Audrey sprinted toward him, ignoring Dante’s shouted warning.
"Sebastian!" She threw her arms around his waist, sobbing against his chest, unmindful of the soot and heat radiating from him. "You’re alive! You made it!"
Sebastian’s arm wrapped around her tightly, burying his face in her hair. "The supplies are safe," he rasped, his voice raw from smoke inhalation. "Catherine’s legacy is safe."
He lifted his head, his dark eyes locking onto Dante, who was approaching slowly with three guards behind him.
"Dante," Sebastian said calmly, pushing Audrey gently behind his back.
"Good to see you make it out, boss," Dante said, though he didn't lower his weapon. "We need to evacuate. Valenti’s men might be circling back."
"Why did you call Marcus Kane tonight, Dante?" Sebastian asked quietly.
Dante froze. The silence that followed was heavier than the rumble of the collapsing warehouse.
"What are you talking about, boss?" Dante feigned confusion, but his knuckles tightened on his pistol.
Sebastian tossed the burned satellite phone onto the wet pavement between them. "I found your phone in the manager’s safe. The same number that alerted Kane to Audrey’s presence at the hospice. The same phone that received payouts from the Valenti family for the past three years."
Dante’s expression turned from feigned loyalty to cold, calculated malice.
"You became weak, Sebastian," Dante spat, pointing his gun directly at Sebastian’s heart. "Ever since Catherine got sick, you lost your edge. You started talking about legitimacy, about charities, about building a clean empire. The Valenti family offered me fifty percent of the docks to end the Ror bloodline."
"Catherine knew," Sebastian said, his voice dropping to a glacial whisper. "That’s why she hid."
"She was a foolish girl who couldn't keep her nose out of my books," Dante sneered. "She would have died in a ditch if your precious little bride hadn't picked her up."
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed to lethal slits. "You touched my sister. You threatened my wife."
"You’re hurt, Sebastian! You can barely stand!" Dante yelled, raising his weapon. "Kill them both!"
Before Dante’s loyal guards could raise their rifles, the sound of multiple gunshots rang out—not from Dante’s men, but from the shadow of the surrounding shipping containers.
Four of Sebastian’s true loyalists, led by his head of security, Vance, swept out from the shadows. Dante’s men fell before they could fire a single round.
Dante panicked, turning his gun toward Audrey.
Sebastian didn't hesitate. Faster than thought, he drew his concealed firearm, stepped between Dante and Audrey, and fired three precise shots.
Dante hit the ground, his eyes wide in shock, as the life faded from his body.
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Sebastian stood over him for a long moment, the gun smoking in his hand. Then he turned around, his body swaying slightly from exhaustion and blood loss.
Audrey rushed forward, catching him before his knees hit the pavement.
