Dante's Law

Chapter 7: Ashes Of The Old World

The remainder of the tunnel fell behind them, leaving a thick, oppressive smell of smoke in the air. Standing next to Dante, Francesca’s hands continued to shake from the adrenaline rush. Though they were out of there, the world had forever changed.

Now that Lorenzo was gone, there would be a power vacuum, one that would inevitably draw them more into the world Dante had always made an effort to keep her away from.

With his body tense, Dante studied the treeline, perhaps expecting the appearance of another adversary from the shadows.

With a determined look on his pale face, Vince was sitting on the ground and applying pressure with a rag to his bleeding side.

“Are you alright?” Kneeling next to Vince, Dante questioned.

Vince nodded, sounding tense. "I will survive. Only this time, a bottle of whiskey won't be enough to cheer me up.”

Francesca’s eyes strayed to the tunnel's remains as her thoughts turned back to the last few hours. All of the things they had experienced weighed hard on her shoulders. She had briefly believed that they would perish there, buried beneath the rock and the c*****e that had shrouded them.

However, they hadn't. They were still alive. And now what? She spoke quietly, breaking the silence with, "Dante." "What's next?"

He rose slowly to his feet and locked eyes with her. Lorenzo was dead, but his empire wasn't going to fall apart easily.

"We regroup," Dante remarked in a quiet yet authoritative tone. "Lorenzo is no longer with us, but his foot soldiers will be coming for what is left of his authority.

Francesca's stomach tightened into a knot. "More violence?"

Dante's jaw became tense. “This isn't the end. Lorenzo's death will be avenged.”

Vince adjusted the rag covering his wound and coughed, wincing. “Of Course his men are not going to fold easily.” They'll come looking for blood. You've brought chaos upon the entire family.”

"Well," Dante retorted icily. "I am the master of chaos."

His remarks gave Francesca a sudden fit of rage. Mastery. Who could take it, and who had it, seemed to be all that this world was interested in. However, what about the human cost? The lives that were lost? That was never the main focus. Beneath the weight of much greater forces, her father's debt—the reason she'd been pulled into this mess—was a distant memory.

She asked, unable to contain her rage, "How can you just... continue like this?" "Now that you killed Lorenzo, his men will come after you. Us. How can this possibly come to an end?”

Dante's countenance relaxed. "This world doesn't end, Francesca. Someone is always fighting for power and someone is always looking for more. Being more powerful is the only way to survive, to seize what is rightfully yours before it is taken away.”

Her throat constricted. "I didn't ask to participate in this."

"Do you think I wanted this?" Dante's voice was piercing and heavy with his own troubles.

“Do you really believe I intended to bring you into this hell? I've been making every effort to keep you out, this is the situation. We're in this together now.”

Tension was high as silence descended between them. She could see why he was doing it, but that didn't make accepting this reality any simpler.

Vince spoke up, his voice rasping low. "We must return to the estate. Bring in more help. We won't be able to repel Lorenzo's soldiers on our own if they come back tonight.”

Dante gave a nod, but his gaze remained fixed on Francesca. He seemed to be quietly pleading with her to accept that he had done what had to be done from the way he was looking at her. That there were no good options in his universe.

With a calmer tone now, Dante stated, "We'll get out of this. But we have to get moving. We become more vulnerable the longer we are here.”

Francesca sensed a thumping sensation in her chest. She had a strong desire to flee, to put this behind her, and to go back to her previous life. But she was aware that it wasn't that easy. There were no simple ways out of the world Dante lived in. You were in for life once you were in.

She slowly nodded. "All right. Come on, let's go.”

The night shrouded them in a thick hush as they made their long and nervous way back to Dante's estate. While Dante drove with unwavering concentration, Vince sat in the backseat, moaning gently at every bump in the road.

Francesca’s thoughts were a jumbled tangle as she saw the pitch-black scenery flash by. She couldn't get rid of the notion that they wouldn't be able to win this battle by brute force, regardless of what Dante stated. It had been vital to kill Lorenzo, but now they faced new foes they couldn't even see yet.

Dante interrupted her thoughts, perhaps sensing her anxiety. "My men will fortify the estate when we return. If they come back, we'll be prepared.”

"And if they don't?" Francesca questioned softly.

Dante's mouth formed a thin line. "If they don't, we still get ready for the next fight."

She scowled. "You really believe that this will never end, don't you?"

He looked at her, his face expressionless. "Everything has an end. However, it's never tidy. It also never comes without a price.”

The truth of what he said broke her heart. She didn't want to think that this was the only path ahead, that she would have to live her entire life watching her back in anticipation of the next attack from an adversary.

The feeling of dread grew as they got closer to the estate and saw its imposing gates. Long shadows were created across the stone facade of the estate by the headlights that highlighted the expansive grounds.

Dante stopped the car and assisted Vince, giving him support with his powerful arms as they entered. Francesca followed, her thoughts continuing to race.

The silence that pervaded the mansion was unsettling, as though the walls themselves were holding their breath, anticipating the coming storm.

They were met with sombre looks by Dante's men, who had been on high alert ever since the blast. One of them, a tall man with a thick scar running across his cheek, came up to Dante holding a phone. "Boss," the man uttered in a tight tone. "You need to hear this,"

Dante answered the phone, his face growing glum as he heard what was being said on the other end. His jaw tightened, he hung up after a few minutes.

"What's that?" Francesca questioned, her abdomen clenching. With a tempest building behind them, Dante's gaze darted to her. "Lorenzo wasn't operating alone. The strings are being pulled by another person.”

Francesca felt her blood freeze. "Who?"

Dante spoke in a low, somewhat growling tone. "His brother."

The understanding made the room seem to shut in around her. A much more deadly person who wouldn't stop until Dante and lineage was annihilated was Lorenzo's brother.

Francesca’s breath froze in her throat. "This isn't over."

With a steely voice, Dante declared, "Not by a long shot."

As the weight of the new threat descended over them, it dawned on Francesca that the next battle they faced would be far worse than anything they had ever experienced. And there might not be a way out this time.