The touch of glass

ChapterFour

The heavy stone hearth absorbed the brunt of the initial burst, sparks and shattered masonry raining down around them. Dante didn't waste a second. The instant the gunshots splintered the wood paneling above, his hand locked around Aria’s waist, pulling her flat against him behind the thick lip of the fireplace mantle. The heat from the dying embers pressed against her back, but the chest pressed against her front was burning hotter.

Stay down, he growled, his voice a vibration against her neck.Dante, the drive!!!

Was a decoy, he whispered, his eyes scanning the smoke-filled hall. The secondary sequence was ruined the second they breached the perimeter. You’re the only copy left, Aria.

Aria's breath hitched. She held his gaze, the realization sinking in with terrifying clarity. The entire chemical synthesis, every complex equation that Apex was willing to kill for, was locked inside her head.

Above them, the firing stopped as the operatives began moving in tactical formation to flank the hearth.

Dante reached into his inner coat pocket, his leather-wrapped hand pulling a sleek, matte-black sidearm from an shoulder holster. He racked the slide with a clean, lethal click.

When I break left, you run for the iron grate behind the wood store,Dante instructed, his pale eyes pinning her with an intensity that made her heart race faster than the gunfire. It leads to the utility sub-levels. Do not stop. Do not look back.

I'm not leaving you, Aria said, her fingers tightening around his lapel, refusing to let go. If Marcus compromised the estate, he knows where the utility tunnels lead.

Dante’s jaw flexed. Outside, the heavy crunch of tactical boots on shattered glass echoed closer.

Aria!

We move together or we don't move at all,she insisted, her voice surprisingly steady, her eyes fierce in the amber glow of the fire. You told me the rules changed when we landed. So stop trying to play the martyr.

A ghost of a dark, possessive smile touched Dante’s lips despite the chaos around them. He reached up, cupping the back of her neck, his thumb pressing firm against her pulse point.

You're going to be the death of me, he murmured, his lips brushing hers in a quick, fierce kiss that tasted of ozone and copper.

He didn't give her time to reply. Dante pivoted off his knees, firing three rapid shots over the mantle. The sharp cracks echoed deafeningly in the enclosed space, followed immediately by the heavy thud of a body hitting the hardwood floor and a curse from Elena.

Cover!Eliora screamed from the upper landing.Dante pulled Aria up by the wrist, keeping his body pinned between her and the open room as he backed them toward the heavy iron door of the wood store. Bullets chewed into the stone wall inches from his shoulder, showering them in white dust.

Dante slammed his shoulder against the iron latch. The hidden door gave way with a heavy groan, revealing a pitch-black stone staircase plunging straight down into the mountain rock.

He shoved her gently into the threshold, stepping in right after her and slamming the heavy iron door shut. He threw the deadbolt just as a heavy spray of lead rattled against the exterior steel.

The silence inside the stairwell hit them like a wall, broken only by their ragged breathing.

Aria leaned against the cold stone wall, her hand pressed against her chest, her heart hammering against her ribs. In the absolute dark, she felt Dante move closer until his body was framed against hers, shielding her even in the shadows.

Are you hit?he demanded, his hands immediately roaming over her shoulders, her waist, her arms, checking every inch of her with frantic precision.

I'm fine,Aria breathed, her own hands coming up to rest on his chest, feeling the heavy, wild thudding of his heart beneath his coat. Dante, I'm okay. His hands stalled at her waist, his fingers digging into her hips, holding her so tight she could barely draw air.

They were going to shoot you, he rasped, his forehead dropping against hers in the dark. The cool, calculating billionaire mask was completely shattered, leaving behind a man raw with a terrifyingly fierce need to protect her. If my angle had been off by an inch, It wasn't, Aria whispered, her hands sliding up to cup his face, feeling the tension vibrating through his jaw. You saved me. Again.

Dante let out a low, ragged exhale, his mouth finding hers in the darkness with a desperate, crushing hunger that made her knees go weak. It wasn't gentle; it was a promise born of survival, a silent vow that no matter how many men Marcus sent, no matter how many empires burned, he would tear the world apart before he let anyone take her from him.

Aria opened up to the kiss, tangling her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer until there was no air left between them.

When he finally broke the kiss, his lips lingered against her cheek, his breath hot against her skin.

The sub-level leads to the mountain garage,Dante whispered, his voice dark and steady once more as his hand slipped down to lock firmly with hers. We take the armored interceptor, break through the lower gates, and vanish before Marcus can mobilize his perimeter team.

Aria squeezed his hand back, her pulse steadying. "Where are we going?

Dante looked down the dark stairwell, his pale eyes catching the faint red glow of the emergency floor strips.

To Spain, he said softly. Where my empire started. And where we take Marcus apart piece by piece.