Page 133 of Ruthless Sin
No one speaks.
Then Dante speaks.
“He knows who you are. He knows where she is. We end this.”
Renzo’s quiet for a long moment. The hand stays in the pocket.
“We’re at war.”
Dante sets his hand on the table. “We’re at war with one man in Moscow. And anyone he brings with him.”
He looks around the room.
“Lock the compound. Lock Casa Lucia. I want doubled security at every entrance. I want eyes on every road leading here.”
He looks at Marco. “Flights from Moscow. Every inbound. I want to know who’s landing and where before they clear customs.”
“Done,” Marco says.
Dante looks at Cassia. “Cancel intake. All of it. Call every patient personally. Tell them the clinic is closed for the week. No exceptions.”
Cassia nods.
Dante turns to Renzo. “Your perimeter. Your men. No one gets within a mile of this house without us knowing.”
“Done.”
Dante looks at Izzy. “Digital surveillance. I want pattern tracking on every Moscow connection we have. Bank transfers. Shell companies. Known associates. If Alexei moves money or men, I want to know before he does.”
Izzy’s fingers are already moving on the keyboard. “I’m on it.”
Dante looks at Giada. “Your girl stays sedated. Keep her sleeping. We need her safe and we need her calm.”
“She’s not going to stay calm when she wakes up,” Giada says.
“Then you keep her from waking up until we have a plan.”
Giada nods.
Dante looks at Marco. “Tell Nonna. Household stays calm, fed, working. She knows what to do.”
“Done.”
Dante looks at me.
“You are not on the perimeter. You are with her. That’s your post. You don’t leave her side. You don’t let her out of your sight.”
I nod.
“Even if she won’t speak to you. Even if she hates you. You protect her. That’s the only thing that matters right now.”
“Yes.”
He stops. Looks at all of us.
“We protect ours. Anyone who touches one of us answers to all of us. That’s how this family works. That’s how it’s always worked.”
He looks at me.
