Novels by Dorak

chapter 14Marco exhaled sharply. “Well, shit.”Luca stood, pacing. “We need to move before they do.”Emilia crossed her arms. “And do what? Attack first? We barely made it out tonight. If Alessandro is coming, he’s not coming unprepared.”Marco rubbed his jaw. “Then we make him come to us. On our terms.”Luca’s pacing stopped. He turned to Marco, eyes narrowing. “You have a plan?”Marco grinned. “Oh, I always have a plan.”They spent the next few hours refining the details. The Vitales were expecting retaliation, but they wouldn’t expect them to set the trap first. The plan was risky, but it had to be. There was no playing it safe in this war.By the time dawn broke, the prisoners had been silenced one knocked unconscious, the other bound tighter. Luca and Emilia stepped outside for air, the early morning chill wrapping around them.“You think this will work?” Emilia asked, watching the sky shift from black to gray.Luca exhaled, his breath visible in the cold. “It has to.”She turne

Chapter 13The night air was thick with tension as Luca, Emilia, and Marco retreated from the docks. The sound of gunfire had faded, but the weight of what they had done still clung to them. They had made their move, struck first. Now, the Vitales would retaliate.Luca kept his grip tight on the wheel as they sped through the empty streets, their two prisoners groaning in the backseat. Marco sat beside them, arms crossed, a pleased smirk tugging at his lips. Emilia sat shotgun, her body tense, her mind already working through the next steps.“We need a secure location to hold them,” she said finally. “Somewhere the Vitales won’t be able to track.”Luca’s jaw clenched. “I know a place. An old warehouse on the west side. It’s off the grid, no cameras, no traffic. We can keep them there until they talk.”Marco chuckled. “And if they don’t?”Luca glanced at him, his expression hard. “They will.”The drive was short, but the weight of the situation made every second stretch. The warehouse

Chapter 12The room fell silent in the wake of Luca’s words. The tension was palpable, thick enough to choke on. Emilia’s heart pounded, but she pushed away the fear. If she let it take hold now, she wouldn’t survive what was coming next.Marco Rossi studied them both for a long moment before nodding approvingly. “Good. You’ll need to move quickly. The Vitales won’t waste time.”Luca crossed his arms, his sharp gaze never leaving Marco. “And what exactly do you suggest?”A slow smile touched Marco’s lips. “I have a plan. One that requires precision, coordination... and a willingness to get your hands dirty.”Luca snorted. “That won’t be a problem.”Marco’s smile widened slightly. “That’s what I was hoping to hear. But before we get into the details, I need to know something.” His eyes flicked to Emilia. “How far are you willing to go?”Emilia swallowed, her pulse thrumming in her ears. She knew what he was asking. Was she ready to cross the line? To abandon any chance at normalcy and

11The air in the safe house remained heavy long after Matteo De Luca had stormed out, his parting words lingering like a dark cloud over the room. Emilia stood still, her arms wrapped around herself as if trying to hold everything together. Luca, on the other hand, exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair before turning to face her."You okay?" he asked, his voice quieter now, less edged with the fury that had fueled him moments ago.Emilia nodded, though her shoulders sagged with exhaustion. "I just... I didn't expect him to react like that."Luca let out a bitter chuckle. "Really? The man’s been waiting for an excuse to put a bullet in my head since we first met. This was just another opportunity."She shot him a sharp look. "He’s my father. He’s just protective.""Protective or paranoid?" Luca challenged, crossing his arms. "You think he's really mad at me, or is he just scared that someone else is pulling the strings and he doesn’t know who?"Emilia opened her mouth, the

"Emilia," he whispered solemnly. "Tell me the truth, what's wrong?"She opened her mouth to answer, the words catching in her throat-and the tension between them grew and thickened.Her voice came just a moment before the sound of an engine springing into life out on the drive shattered the tension.They froze as the door burst open with a bang."Emilia!"Luca stood abruptly as Matteo De Luca stormed into the safe house, his presence commanding as ever. The older man's gaze immediately zeroed in on his daughter, softening as he rushed to her side.“Are you hurt?" Matteo asked, his hands clamping onto Emilia's shoulders as he scanned her for injury."I'm fine, dad," Emilia said, though her voice was laced with the same unease she'd had with Luca."Fine?" Matteo scoffed. "You were almost killed." He turned to Luca, his face hardening into a glare. "This is your doing, Romano.”Luca crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes meeting Matteo's glare in a cool, icy manner. "I saved her life

He jerked his head to the side; the smirk tugged at it. "And why not? You think you can stop me?" "Try me," Luca growled. The air in that room was dead set for tension inside of it. Her eyes frantically skipped from the gun onto Luca, and the panic climbed down her throat. She wanted to scream, wanted to run, but her legs turned into lead. "Pity," he said, the finger in ring tightening on the trigger. "Seems with you I can finally take something precious from the De Luca's. A shot rang out. "Emilia!" Luca's voice was hoarse with desperation as he launched himself at her, sending her to the ground. Pain seared through her shoulder as they landed on the pavement, but it was nothing compared to the deafening sound of the gunfire. She couldn't hold her breath a moment longer. Lying on the ground, ears ringing, her vision hazy, Emilia suddenly heard through the haze: "Emilia!" Luca's voice finally cut through the fogginess as his hands came into contact with her shoulders, shaking