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Chapter 16

Author: Olivia Walter
last update Last Updated: 2025-02-04 23:25:15

Dante

The room was empty. Completely empty.

No Nonna. No signs of her. The only item left behind was a chair tipped on its side and the faint smell of smoke lingering in the air.

Behind me, Gio’s voice wavered. “Boss…what now?”

I didn’t answer. My jaw clenched, my mind racing as I stared at the emptiness before me.

Something was off. I could feel it before I even heard Luca’s panicked voice crackle through the comms.

“B-Boss, we’re taking fire!”

I swung into action immediately. “Move!” I barked to my men and we bolted from the room. Smoke was already seeping in from beneath the main door. My stomach sank. They’d trapped us.

Aldo was pacing, wide-eyed, breathing hard. The big guy didn’t handle tight spaces well. “Boss,” he muttered, his hands trembling. “I can’t—”

“Messa a fuoco!” I snapped, gripping his shoulder. “Focus. We get through this, or we don’t get out.”

I pulled out my gun. “Stay behind me,” I ordered. Three quick shots to the lock, and then I kicked the door open. Smoke b
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