Built from Ashes

Chapter 10: The Ledger in the Blood

The revelation hung in the dead air of the utility tunnel like a physical weight. Elena stared up at Dante, the pieces of the horrific puzzle finally clicking violently into place.

Elena

(Her voice cracking, her hands trembling as she grips the lapels of his coat)

So I'm not just a witness. I'm a walking target. Every single person in your syndicate—every traitor on your council—is going to hunt me down until they tear my mind apart just to get your money back.

Dante Vance

(Lifting a hand, his calloused fingers gently cupping the back of her neck, anchoring her against him with absolute, unyielding possession)

Let them try. To get to the ledger, they have to go through me. And I’ve already buried half the men who thought they could cross my family.

Lorenzo

(Stepping out from the smoke, checking his tactical reader with a grim frown)

Boss, we've got three more transport units inbound from the harbor district. The Council knows we're down here. If we don't move right now, the entire subterranean grid will be sealed off and flooded with neurotoxin.

Dante didn't break eye contact with Elena. He saw the raw fear warring with her fierce, stubborn pride, and something inside his chest shifted permanently. She wasn't just a pawn anymore, and she wasn't just a key. She had become his Achilles' heel—and he would burn every city in the country to the ground before he let anyone take her from him.

Dante Vance

(Lifting her effortlessly into his arms, ignoring her startled gasp as he turns toward the armored transport)

Lorenzo, clear the tracks. We're taking the express line straight to the island estate.

Elena

(Clinging to his shoulders as he carries her through the smoke)

The island estate? Dante, you can't just isolate me from the entire world!

Dante Vance

Watch me, Elena. Because from this moment on, the only world you exist in is mine.