VICIOUS DEVOTION

CHAPTER THIRTEEN : The War

The Viscardi Estate – Midnight

The meeting was held in the grand ballroom of Dante's family estate—a sprawling, opulent mansion that had been in his bloodline for generations.

Serafina stood at his side, her hand in his, as the heads of every major crime family filed in.

The Morettis. The Ferraras. The Contis. The Riccis.

And, at the far end of the table, the Marchettis.

Luca Marchetti was a tall, silver-haired man in his fifties. He looked like a banker—refined, polished, respectable. But his eyes were dead. Cold. Calculating.

"Viscardi," he said, his voice dripping with false warmth. "So good of you to invite us. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten how to play host."

Dante didn't smile. "I don't play, Marchetti. I win."

Luca's smile flickered. "Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise." Dante gestured to Serafina. "You sent a letter. You threatened my fiancée. You thought you could scare me."

"I thought you'd be reasonable."

"I'm never reasonable when it comes to her." Dante's voice was ice. "So here's what's going to happen. You're going to leave. You're going to call off your men. And you're going to stay out of my territory. Forever."

Luca laughed. "And if I don't?"

Dante smiled. It was not a pleasant expression.

"Then I will destroy you. Your family. Your allies. Your entire legacy. I will burn your name from the history books. And when I'm done, no one will remember you ever existed."

The room was silent.

Luca's smile faded. "You're young, Viscardi. Reckless. You think you can threaten me?"

"I think I can kill you." Dante stepped forward, his hands relaxed at his sides. "But I'm giving you a chance. Because I'm not a monster."

Liar, Serafina thought. You absolutely are.

But he was her monster.

Luca stood, his jaw tight. "This isn't over."

"Yes, it is." Dante signaled. The doors opened. A dozen armed men filed in—not Viscardi soldiers. Members of the other families. Allies.

Luca looked around the room. His face paled.

"You—all of you—you're siding with him?"

The head of the Ferrara family spoke. "Viscardi has been fair to us. He's been loyal. He's kept the peace. You broke the rules, Marchetti. You went after his woman. That's not business. That's personal."

Luca turned to the others. One by one, they nodded.

"Get out," Dante said. "Before I change my mind."

Luca stared at him. Then he turned and walked out of the room, his men trailing behind him.

The doors slammed shut.

Dante turned to Serafina. His expression softened.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, though her heart was still pounding. "What happens now?"

He smiled. "Now? We celebrate. And then—" His eyes gleamed. "—we plan the wedding."