Chapter 7 - The Vulnerability of Steel
Back at the Russo Tower penthouse, the atmosphere was thick with tension. A private family doctor had come and gone, extracting the bullet from Dante’s shoulder and stitching the wound. Dante was now resting on the master bed, propped up by pillows, his chest bare and wrapped in heavy white bandages.
The operatives had left. The tower was quiet.
Avery sat on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of warm water and a cloth. She gently wiped away the dried blood from his skin, her movements slow and careful.
"You could have died," she said, her voice trembling with an emotion she could no longer hide. "You threw yourself in front of a bullet for me. That wasn't in the contract, Dante."
Dante reached out with his uninjured arm, his large hand gently catching her wrist, stopping her movements. He looked up at her, the usual cold, calculating mask entirely gone. He looked human. Vulnerable. And incredibly dangerous to her heart.
"The contract was a lie, Avery," he said softly, his voice gravelly from the pain. "I didn't just need a wife for my shipping licenses. I saw you three years ago, when you were fixing this tower. You were so bright, so fierce, so entirely untainted by the corruption of this city. I wanted you then. But you were with Whitaker, and I... I am a creature of the dark. I thought I would destroy you if I pulled you into my world."
Avery felt a tear slip down her cheek, landing on his bare chest. "Dante..."
"But when you broke through that door in your ruined wedding dress," Dante continued, his thumb gently wiping the tear from her face, "I realized the dark didn't destroy you. It made you burn brighter. I didn't get hurt tonight to protect an asset, Avery. I got hurt because if I lose you, there is nothing left in this city worth protecting."
Avery let out a shaky breath, the last of her walls crumbling into dust. She leaned down, pressing her lips to his.
The kiss was desperate, fierce, and filled with the relief of survival. Dante groaned softly against her mouth, his hand moving to the back of her head, pulling her deeper into him. It wasn't a business arrangement. It wasn't a tactical alliance. It was a declaration of ownership—mutual, total, and irreversible.
May you like
When she finally pulled back, her eyes were bright with a new kind of determination. "Grant Whitaker is still alive, Dante. He’s cornered, and a cornered animal is the most dangerous."
"Then we finish it tomorrow," Dante said, his eyes darkening with a lethal promise. "The hurricane hits at noon. The federal auditors arrive at one. Let’s show Grant what happens when you try to flood a city owned by the Russos."
