Chapter 28 Dante
DANTE
The old warehouse has become my new war chambers, moved away from my home because I'm creating a barrier between what's left of this war and my family.
I stand at the head of a long metal table where my men gather around the table, from my closest advisors and soldiers to a dozen others who've come to aid me.
All of their faces are grim.
I have an empty chair directly to my right to honor the man who fell.
He was just a courier, a low-level soldier who hadn’t earned a true rank yet, but he died an honorable death fighting to ensure our legacy continues in Rome.
"We're down one enforcer," Enzo says, his voice flat. "Marco's death creates a gap in our defense."
I stare at the empty chair thinking about how short life is.
At just twenty-one, he was a new father, married less than two years, and had so much potential.
He gave it all up for me, and for that I'm forever grateful.
"We'll fill the gap," I say, "but it will never replace him."
My men's heads hang in silence for a moment before I give specific instructions on how to care for his wife and child, and the entire conversation leaves the room feeling somber.
Rico is the one to break the silence.
He pulls out a map of our territory and the paths through Gerard's warzone that we've been forced to evacuate. He's right.
We can't sit around grieving Marco's life when we have to move on with things.
If we just sit here, we'll all be slaughtered.
"Antonelli's deadline is just two days out. He's made it clear he's coming for you, but we don't know where he'll strike first." Rico taps on the corner of the map. "We need a plan."
The best defense is a good offense, but without knowing where he'll strike, all we can do for now is prepare and brace ourselves.
"He has three options." I lean over the map, tracing the locations with my finger. "The villa. The port. Or the club in Monti."
"The club's a soft target," Luca says. "But it doesn't send the message he wants. He's not interested in burning down a nightclub. He wants to humiliate you and eliminate you permanently."
"Agreed." Enzo pulls out a red marker and circles the villa on the map. "This is personal for him. He knows about Angelica and Sofia. He used them to bait you once already. He'll do it again."
My jaw tightens.
The thought of Antonelli getting anywhere near my family makes my blood boil.
"Then we fortify the villa. I want men on every entrance, every window. Cameras covering every angle. If a bird lands on the property, I want to know about it."
"What about the port?" Rico asks. "If he hits the shipments, the Turks won't care that it's a Mob war. They'll cut ties and we lose everything."
"The Turks are covered." I check my watch. Kemal's contact should be here any minute. "I've arranged a meeting with Eren. If the Turks agree to back us, we'll have enough manpower to defend both locations."
Enzo raises an eyebrow.
"You think they'll commit to a war that's not theirs?"
"Antonelli threatened them too. Sent word through intermediaries that any supplier working with me is complicit in the skimming and will suffer." I straighten and cross my arms. "Kemal doesn't take threats lightly. Neither does his organization."
"So we're banking on the Turks to even the odds?" Luca shifts his weight, wincing as his injured shoulder protests. "That's a big gamble."
"It's the only gamble we have." I move around the table, staring at the map.
If we get this wrong and put all of our resources somewhere they're not needed, we will fuck it up.
"If Antonelli comes at us with full force, we need more than a dozen men and good intentions. We need an army."
Rico nods slowly. "And if the Turks say no?"
"Then we go to war understaffed and hope we're faster than he is."
I meet his eyes.
"But that's not going to happen. Kemal's invested in this partnership. He's not going to let Antonelli destroy it."
The door at the far end of the warehouse opens and one of my guards steps through, followed by Eren.
The Turkish contact is dressed in a dark suit.
His eyes linger on Marco's empty chair for a moment before shifting to me.
"Dante," he says, his accent thick but his Italian clear.
"Thank you for meeting on short notice." He begins walking deeper into the warehouse toward us as my men shift to watch him.
"Eren…" I gesture to the table.
"We were just discussing tomorrow's potential targets. I assume Kemal received my message?"
"He did."
Eren approaches the table with his hands clasped behind his back. "And he is not pleased. Antonelli has overstepped."
"Do you have details?" Rico asks, and I watch Eren's face for an answer we all clearly are eager to hear.
"He sent a courier to Istanbul three days ago.
The message was clear—any supplier working with you is against him, and that we've chosen the wrong side.
Kemal is furious. Gerard threatened to take us out when he is finished with you, and you know how the boss takes threats.
" Eren's eyes are dark and brooding. Kemal didn't just send him here to confirm what I already know.
He's here because they're going to side with us.
"What was Kemal's response to that?" I ask.
Eren's expression hardens and his chest puffs out.
"Kemal does not respond well to threats. Especially from a man who has no proof, no standing, and no respect in our organization."
He pulls a folded paper from his jacket and slides it across the table.
"This is a list of assets Kemal is willing to commit to your defense—one hundred men, forty vehicles, weapons, and ammunition as needed."
I unfold the paper and scan the list.
The numbers are staggering. Kemal isn't just offering support—he's offering a small army.
"This is generous," I say, looking back up at him with curiosity.
"What does he want in return?"
"Your continued partnership. And Antonelli's head."
Eren's tone is cold and there’s no mistaking whether he means what he says.
"Kemal wants proof that the man threatening his organization is dealt with permanently."
Enzo whistles under his breath.
Rico leans forward and clasps his hands, and Luca shifts against the wall.
Every one of them knows the directive is clear.
We aren't just stopping Antonelli Gerard's advancement—we're going to take him out for good.
I fold the paper and tuck it into my jacket.
"Tell Kemal I accept his terms. Antonelli will be handled."
"Good." Eren extends his hand.
I shake it with a firm grip that mirrors his, and he says, "Our men will arrive tonight. They will take positions around your villa and the port. Kemal has already briefed them on the situation. They know what's at stake."
"I appreciate this," I say, and I mean it.
Kemal didn't have to get involved.
He could've cut ties, walked away, and left me to fight this war alone.
But he chose loyalty over convenience, a rare thing in this business at times.
Eren releases my hand and steps back.
"We will be in touch," he says before he turns and leaves the warehouse, the door closing behind him.
The room is silent for a long moment.
Then Rico exhales and leans back in his chair. "Well, fuck. We've got an army."
"We've got a chance," I correct him. "That's all this is. And we can't waste it."
"What about Antonelli's movements?" Luca asks. "Do we have eyes on him?"
"Rico's been tracking him," I say, turning to my security chief. "What do we know?"
Rico pulls out his phone and scrolls through a series of messages.
"Antonelli's been holed up in a safehouse in Testaccio for the past forty-eight hours. His lieutenant, Nicolo, has been coordinating with their crew, but we haven't seen any large-scale mobilization yet."
"That doesn't mean it's not happening," Enzo says. "He could be moving men under our radar."
He sits back with a smug expression and doubt in his eyes.
He's right to be wary.
Gerard could be planning anything anywhere and even with our small army, we won't be successful if we don't see him coming.
"Agreed." I look at Rico. "I want eyes on that safehouse. If he leaves, I want to know where he's going and who he's taking with him."
"Already on it," Rico says. "I've got two men stationed nearby. They'll report any movement."
I turn my attention back to the map.
Gerard gave me a deadline to bow out graciously—Christmas Eve.
It's his planned day of attack, and I'm ready.
I just wish I knew where it was going to happen.
It feels like I've come miles from the place we started, but the destination is still just outside my reach.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
I pull it out and glance at the screen.
It's Rico's second-in-command, one of the men stationed at the villa.
I answer immediately.
"Talk to me."
"We've got movement," the man says. His voice is tight and quiet, harsh whispers. "East side of the property, there's three vehicles. They're not ours."
My blood turns to ice. "How many men?"
I'm already moving toward the door, gesturing for my men, and I hear the scrape of chair feet on the concrete.
"At least a dozen—maybe more. They're parking two blocks away and moving on foot." He sounds slightly winded too, as if he's been running.
"Are they armed?"
"Can't confirm yet, but I'd bet on it," he says, and he's huffing. Definitely running.
I glance at the clock on the wall.
It's barely past midnight.
Antonelli's moving early.
He wants to catch us off guard.
"Lock down the villa," I order. "Get Marta, Angelica, and Sofia to the safe room—now. I'm on my way."
"Copy that."
"We have a situation," I shout. "Everyone move out now. Arm up. We don’t know what we're facing. The villa may be under attack."
The room erupts into motion and I move toward the exit, my mind racing.
Angelica and Sofia are at home.
Antonelli's men are closing in.
If they breach the outer defenses before we get there—
I stop myself before I start imagining the worst-case scenarios.
My men are capable, even the ones left behind to watch my home.
They'll get my family safely into the panic room, which is virtually impenetrable, and I know they'll be safe.
Everything else is just material property, which can be replaced.
But Gerard is about to learn why he should never fuck with me.
We pile into the cars and start out toward the villa, racing through Roman back streets and dark allies.
And I reach into my pocket to phone my newest ally.
"Mr. Santonelli?" Eren says, and before he can finish his greeting, I'm talking, telling him it's time to move and that we need his men now.
As many as he can send.
I intend to end this now.