Chapter 7 - The Trap Clears
Mark looked thinner, his face pale and sweaty, his dark eyes wide with frantic, cornered terror as he stared across the room at me, leaning on Dante Castellano’s arm.
He hadn't left the city. He had disguised himself to get close to Moretti, trying to make his final deal.
Dante didn't miss my sudden stiffness. His eyes swept the room smoothly, catching sight of Mark within a fraction of a second. But Dante didn't draw a weapon, nor did he signal his men to move. He simply smiled—a cold, terrifying smile—and guided me straight toward Viktor Moretti.
“Dante,” Moretti grunted, his voice sounding like grinding stones as we stopped three feet away. “I heard a strange rumor this morning. They say you’ve taken in Tanner’s pregnant mistress.”
Dante reached down, taking my gloved hand and raising it slightly so the heavy sapphire ring caught the dazzling light of the crystal chandeliers above.
“You are mistaken, Viktor,” Dante said, his voice echoing clearly across the hushed lobby. “Eliza was never Mark Tanner’s mistress. She has been under my protection for over a year. The child she carries is a Castellano.”
Moretti’s eyes narrowed into angry slits as he looked from the heavy ring to my face. He could see the absolute conviction in Dante’s eyes, the total calm of a man who owned everything he surveyed.
From five feet away, Mark dropped his tray of glasses.
CRASH.
Crystal shattered across the marble floor, champagne splashing across the expensive shoes of the surrounding guests.
Mark turned to run toward the service exit, but two of Dante’s men stepped out from behind the velvet curtains, blocking his path with silent, unyielding precision.
May you like
Moretti turned his head, realizing in a second that he had been played. “Tanner...”
“It seems your accountant has fallen down on the job, Viktor,” Dante said smoothly, taking a champagne glass from a passing server and handing it to me. “If you’ll excuse us, my betrothed needs to sit down. She is in delicate health.”
