Chapter 7 - The Final Ledger
Inside the speeding SUV, the only sound was the heavy, ragged breathing of the passengers and the rhythmic thump of the windshield wipers fighting the torrential rain.
Alina sat huddled against Dorian’s side, her face buried in the crook of his neck, her fingers clutching the fabric of his shirt as if she were afraid he would vanish if she let go.
Dorian kept one arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders, pulling her so close against his body that he could monitor every breath she took. With his free hand, he tapped the encrypted phone.
"Marcus," Dorian said coldly.
"Sir?"
"Route us to Arthur Vane’s primary residence in Winnetka. Not his office. His home."
Marcus glanced in the rearview mirror, his face illuminated by the green glow of the dashboard. "Boss... Vane’s estate is heavily fortified. If his team is already mobilized, we’re walking into a prepared kill-zone."
"Then we bring our own kill-zone," Dorian replied, his voice dropping into a register that made the hair on the back of Marcus’s neck stand up. "Call the Vanguard squad. Tell them to meet us at the perimeter gates in twenty minutes. We’re ending this tonight."
Alina pulled back slightly, looking up into his dark, unyielding eyes. "Dorian, no. You can't start a full-scale war in the middle of a residential suburb. The police—the federal authorities—"
"The federal authorities have been sitting on Vane’s payroll for three years," Dorian interrupted, his tone absolute. "The only way to ensure safety for you and our children is to cut the head off the snake permanently. There are no half-measures left, Alina."
She saw the raw, terrifying protective fury burning in his eyes—the same fury that had kept him alive at the top of the Chicago underworld for a decade, now entirely focused on preserving his family.
May you like
She reached up, her palm resting softly against his scarred cheek. "Then we end it together. But you keep me behind you. Do you understand?"
Dorian looked down at her, a rare, fierce smile touching the corner of his lips. He leaned down and pressed a deep, burning kiss to her forehead. "Always."
