CHAPTER 27
PROTECTION The aftermath of the ambush was a blur of activity. Wounded soldiers were rushed to the estate's medical wing, a state-of-the-art facility that Bella hadn't known existed. Dead bodies—both Romano and Benedetti—were collected and processed with clinical efficiency. Damage to the estate was assessed: shattered windows, bullet-pocked walls, burned-out vehicles in the driveway. The tally of destruction was extensive, but the family had survived. Dante was everywhere at once—directing cleanup, coordinating with allies, planning retaliation. He didn't sleep, didn't eat, didn't stop moving. His focus was absolute, his energy seemingly inexhaustible. But Bella saw the toll it was taking. The lines of exhaustion around his eyes. The tension in his shoulders. The way his hands shook wh
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