Chapter 7 - The Trial of Iron and Fire

Two hours later, the storm over New York broke into a heavy, torrential downpour.

The safehouse in Montauk was a secluded coastal compound overlooking the black, churning Atlantic Ocean. Inside the command room, six of Dominic’s most loyal street captains stood around a large glass table covered in tactical maps and radio monitors.

Isabella sat in a velvet armchair, holding my hand tightly while a private nurse checked my stitches.

"Victor Costa has gathered all his remaining captains at the St. Jude Cathedral downtown," one of the captains reported, laying a satellite image on the table. "He thinks Enzo succeeded. He thinks you're dead, Boss. He called an emergency summit of the Five Families for midnight to claim the Rossi territory."

Dominic stood over the table, wearing a crisp dark suit, strapping a tactical holster across his shoulders. He looked like an ancient warlord preparing for his final battle.

"He called a summit?" Dominic asked softly, a cold, terrifying smile touching his lips. "Good. Then the entire underworld will be there to watch him fall."

I stood up from my chair, pulling away from the nurse. "I'm coming with you."

The entire room went silent. Dominic stopped strapping his holster, turning his dark eyes onto me.

"No," Dominic said firmly. "You remain here under guard."

"I am a Costa by blood," I said, stepping right up to him, looking straight into his eyes without flinching. "Victor Costa killed my father. He hunted my mother for twenty years. He sent men to blow up your home tonight. If you walk into that cathedral alone, it looks like a syndicate war. If I walk in beside you as your wife and Ellen Costa’s daughter, it’s an execution of an imposter."

Isabella looked up from her chair, her eyes shining with quiet pride. "She's right, Dominic. She is a Rossi now. She carries our courage."

Dominic stared at me for a long, agonizing moment. He reached out, his warm hand cupping the back of my neck, pulling my forehead against his.

May you like

I was standing beside a fenced dog-training field outside Edmond, Oklaho...

The gunshot came less than three seconds after Vincent Rourke told his w...

Martha Bellini knew she could lose her job for opening Damian Falcone’s...

"If a single bullet comes near you tonight, Clara," he whispered, his voice shaking with fierce devotion, "I will tear down the sky."

"They won't get close," I promised, touching the heavy gold ring on my left hand. "Because anybody who comes for me comes through you."