BOUND TO THE BOSS

Chapter 13: The War Begins

The morning after the warehouse attack, Dante was on the phone before dawn.

Elena listened from the bed. His voice was calm, but she could hear the anger underneath.

"I want men on every corner. Every street. I want to know where Enzo Rossi sleeps, eats, breathes."

He hung up. Ran a hand through his hair.

"The war has started," he said.

"I know."

"Are you scared?"

"Terrified. But I'm not running."

Dante walked to the bed. Sat beside her.

"Enzo will try to hit us where it hurts. That means you."

"Then I'll be ready."

He touched her face. "You're braver than anyone I know."

"I'm just too stubborn to die."

He almost smiled.

---

Elena spent the morning training.

Punch. Kick. Block. Dodge. She ran through the drills until her muscles screamed.

Then she went to the shooting range.

She loaded the Glock. Aimed. Fired.

The target had a bullet hole in the center of the chest.

She fired again. Another hole.

Again. Again. Again.

When she finished, the target was shredded.

"You're getting good."

Dante stood in the doorway. He was holding a cup of coffee.

"I'm getting angry."

"That's good. Anger focuses the mind."

She set down the gun. "What's our next move?"

"We wait. Let Enzo make the first mistake."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then we make him."

---

At noon, a call came.

One of Dante's men had spotted Enzo Rossi. He was at a restaurant on the east side of the city.

"Should we hit him?" Elena asked.

"No. Too many civilians. Innocent people would get hurt."

"Since when do you care about innocent people?"

"Since you."

Elena's heart swelled.

---

That afternoon, Elena found a letter slipped under her door again.

*"You can't protect her forever, Vitale. We will take what's yours."*

She brought it to Dante.

His expression was cold. Deadly.

"How did they get in?"

"I don't know."

He called security. Questioned every guard. No one had seen anything.

"They have someone inside," Dante said.

"A spy?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"I don't know yet. But I will."

---

Elena spent the rest of the day in the study with Dante.

He made calls. Planned. Strategized. She listened. Learned.

"You should eat," she said.

"I'm not hungry."

"You need your strength."

He looked at her. "You sound like Rosa."

"Rosa is smart."

Dante sighed. Picked up a sandwich.

"You're good for me."

"I know."

---

That night, Elena couldn't sleep.

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Thinking about the spy. The letter. The danger.

Dante was beside her, but his breathing was restless.

"Elena."

"Yes?"

"If something happens to me—"

"Nothing is going to happen."

"Listen to me." He turned to face her. "If something happens, you take the flash drive in my desk drawer. It has everything. Bank accounts. Properties. Contacts. Take it and run."

"I don't want your money."

"It's not about money. It's about survival. You'll need resources."

Elena's eyes filled with tears. "Don't talk like this."

"I have to. It's the only way to keep you safe."

She kissed him. Hard.

"Then we both survive. Together."

---

The next morning, Dante called a meeting of his top men.

They gathered in the study. Hard faces. Tired eyes.

"We have a spy in the house," Dante said. "Someone is feeding information to the Rossi family."

The men exchanged glances.

"I want to know who. I want to know now."

One man stepped forward. "I saw someone acting strange last night. One of the kitchen staff. Hiding in the hallway."

"Name."

"Marco."

Dante's eyes narrowed. "Bring him to me."

---

Marco was a young man. Nervous. Sweating.

"I didn't do anything," he said.

"Then why were you hiding in the hallway?"

"I was scared. I heard noises. I was hiding from the intruders."

Dante studied him. "You're lying."

"No. I swear."

Elena watched Marco's face. His eyes darted. His hands shook.

"He's telling the truth," she said.

Dante looked at her. "How do you know?"

"Because liars look at the floor. He's looking at you."

Dante turned back to Marco. "You're free to go."

Marco ran out of the room.

"How did you know?" Dante asked.

"My father was a gambler. I learned to read liars."

Dante nodded. "Keep watching. The spy is still here."

---

The rest of the day was tense.

Elena stayed close to Dante. She didn't trust anyone.

That evening, she found another letter.

This one was on her pillow.

*"Tick tock."*

She screamed.

Dante ran in. "What happened?"

She handed him the letter.

His face went pale. Then red.

"Everyone out. Now."

The staff fled.

"We're leaving," Dante said.

"Where?"

"The safe house. Tonight. Both of us."

"What about your empire?"

"It means nothing if you're dead."

Elena nodded.

They packed quickly. Rosa came with them.

The car drove through the dark streets.

Behind them, the mansion grew smaller and smaller.

Elena held Dante's hand.

"We're going to be okay," she said.

"We're going to survive."

"Yes."

The war was not over.

But they were still fighting.

And they would not stop until they won.