Chapter 12 - The Lion's Den
The city looked different at 3:00 AM from the back of an armored SUV. The neon lights reflected off the wet asphalt like spilled ink, and the towering skyscrapers felt like the bars of a massive cage.
Dante had set up his temporary headquarters in the back room of an abandoned meatpacking plant he used to own—a grim, sterile environment that smelled of rust and iron. Men in tailored suits with hidden holsters moved efficiently, setting up tactical gear and maps.
Mara sat at a metal table, a cup of lukewarm coffee untouched in front of her. She felt entirely out of place among these violent men, yet she refused to show weakness. She kept thinking about the flour stain on her wedding dress, a symbol of the normal life they had desperately tried to build.
Valentin entered the room, throwing a dossier onto the table. "We tracked the silver sedan. It went straight to the old Moretti estate on the northern ridge. It’s a fortress, Boss. Heavy security, private guards, and Luciana has fortified it since she returned from Europe."
Dante leaned over the table, his eyes scanning the blueprints of the estate. "She wants a meeting. She didn't kill Lena at the house, which means the kid is leverage. She wants me to hand over the digital keys to the offshore accounts and the names of the syndicate leaders who betrayed her brother."
"If you give her that, she will control the entire city’s underworld," Valentin warned. "And she’ll kill you all the moment the transfers clear."
"I know," Dante said. He looked at Mara. "I need to go in alone. That’s her condition."
"It’s a trap, Dante," Mara said, standing up. "You walk in there, and you don't walk out. And Lena... Lena will be left with nothing."
"I don't have a choice, Mara," Dante said, walking over to her and gripping her shoulders. "It’s my past that brought this to our door. I have to finish it."
"Then finish it smartly," Mara said, her eyes narrowing as an idea began to form in her head. She looked at the blueprints, then at Valentin. "Valentin, what does Luciana do every morning? What’s her routine?"
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Valentin blinked, surprised by the question. "Uh... she’s meticulous. She has her breakfast delivered from the high-end catering service she owns in the downtown district. Every morning at 7:00 AM sharp."
Mara smiled, a cold, sharp expression that made even Valentin look uneasy. "Dante, you told me once that the most dangerous place to attack a fortress is from the front gates. But you also taught me that everyone has to eat. Let’s change the menu."
