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Rafael’s reply was tinged with worry. “That could change everything. He could use her against us, leverage her safety for his benefit.”
Dante’s response was a mix of contemplation and strategy. “It’s a risk, but it also gives us an advantage. Marco’s interest in Ellie could be the key to keeping him in check.”
“But at what cost?” Rafael’s voice was tight, a hint of conflict in his tone. “We can’t forget she’s a person, not just a pawn in our game.”
There was a brief silence, and I could almost feel the weight of their moral dilemma hanging in the air.
Finally, Dante spoke again, his voice firm. “We need to tread carefully. Use the situation to our advantage, but ensure Ellie’s safety at all costs. She may be our leverage, but we are not like Marco. We protect our own and she’s ours.”
I took a step back, fear whirling through me. Thoughts raced through my mind, each more alarming than the last. What if Marco found me? His reputation for ruthlessness and cruelty was well known, especially to me.
Marco was notorious for his brutality. I knew firsthand how he treated his women—with a cold, abusive indifference that chilled the soul. He viewed people as tools, to be used and discarded without a second thought. His network was vast, his reach far and wide across the city. The idea that he’d somehow found out where I was sent shivers down my spine.
At the same time, a nagging suspicion crept into my thoughts. What if this was all a trap? A clever ploy by Marco to lure Dante and Rafael out into the open so that he could strike when they least expected?
Marco was known for his cunning, for laying traps that seemed innocuous until they snapped shut. The possibility that they were walking into one of his schemes was terrifyingly real.
I couldn’t shake the image of Marco’s cold, emotionless eyes, the way he could inflict pain without a flicker of remorse, the way his backhand felt across the side of my face. The idea of falling back into his hands was unbearable.
Yet as much as I was worried about myself, I was far more concerned with what might happen to Dante and Rafael.
They could die.
Determined not to let Marco hurt them, not if I could help it, I made a quick decision. I was going to follow Dante and Rafael. If there was a way I could warn them, or even just be there to support them, I had to take it. It was a risky move, but sitting back and doing nothing was not an option—not when their lives might be on the line.
I would do whatever I needed to do to keep them safe.
I didn’t think about what that might mean.
Especially between the three of us.
Chapter Ten
Dante
Three days later
Here we go…
With a deep breath, I stared up at the dilapidated warehouse, its rusted doors and shattered windows a bit ominous in the early evening light. The setting sun cast long shadows on the ground, making a shiver race down my spine at the sight.
It was like the setting of a horror movie, and we were about to walk right into it.
Rafael and I stepped out of the car, the gravel crunching under our feet. I instinctively checked my gun, a Beretta 92FS, secured at my waist. Its familiar weight reassured me in the uneasy quiet.
Rafael did the same, ensuring his Glock 17 was within easy reach. “Marco’s not known for playing fair,” he muttered, his eyes scanning the desolate surroundings. We were both on edge. He was just the first to voice it.
I nodded in agreement, my hand resting on the Beretta. “We need to stay sharp. If it’s a trap, we’ll be ready. We’ll need to be.”
I squared my shoulders and the two of us walked inside. Our footsteps echoed in the vast, empty space. Then, ahead of us, I saw him.
Fucking Marco Vargas.
He sat nonchalantly in a black folding chair—dark, slicked-back hair, a sharp jawline, and piercing eyes that assessed us coldly. He was flanked by a group of men, dressed in suits and armed to the teeth, each exuding the quiet menace typical of those well accustomed to violence. The air was thick with tension, the silence broken only by the distant drip of water somewhere from deeper in the building.
I didn’t like this. Not one bit, but I didn’t really have a choice.
I would have brought my own men, but Marco had demanded Rafael and I come alone.
