Chapter 2 - The Midnight Trap
Pain ripped through Isabella with the force of an avalanche. She gasped, sinking onto the edge of the velvet armchair, her knuckles turning bone-white against the armrests.
“Bella!” Dante dropped to his knees instantly, all thoughts of empire and enemies vaporizing. He caught her trembling hands. His palms, usually steady enough to assemble a firearm in total darkness, shook violently.
“The baby...” Isabella cried out, sweat instantly beading across her forehead. “Dante, she’s coming. It hurts... God, it hurts so much.”
Marco stood by the shattered doorway, pistol drawn, scanning the dim hallway. “Sir, Victor Sinclair brought twenty armed mercenaries. They cut the primary fiber lines. No cell towers, no landlines. The local hospital is twenty minutes out, but Sinclair’s men have blocked the private access road with armored SUVs. If we try to drive down the main drive, they’ll open fire.”
Dante rose like a demon summoned from the depths of hell. His bespoke jacket hit the floor, revealing the shoulder holster beneath. The cold, calculated predator that Chicago feared re-emerged, but this time, it was driven by raw paternal terror.
“Marco, seal the west wing blast doors,” Dante ordered, voice steady as steel. “Get Dr. Evans out of the guest quarters and bring him up through the private elevator before Sinclair’s men sweep the second floor. Move!”
Marco nodded sharply and disappeared into the shadows.
Dante knelt back before Isabella, gently cupping her face. He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs, his dark eyes burning with fierce, desperate devotion. “Listen to me, Bella. Look at me. Only me.”
Isabella forced her eyes open through the agonizing contraction.
“You asked where the man you married went,” Dante whispered fiercely. “He never left. I distanced myself because Victor Sinclair found out about our child three months ago. He threatened to detonate your mother’s clinic. He threatened to poison the supply lines. I stayed away, working eighteen-hour days, moving assets into secret trusts in your name so that if they came for me, you and our daughter would own every brick of this city. I didn’t shut you out to abandon you. I shut you out because I thought my touch would get you killed.”
Fresh tears spilled over Isabella’s lashes. “You idiot... you stupid, stubborn man. I didn't want your empire. I wanted you.”
“I know. And I was a coward for trying to protect you from the shadows instead of holding your hand in the light.” Dante kissed her forehead, lingering against her feverish skin. “Forgive me, Bella. But right now, you need to breathe. In and out. I am getting you and our daughter out of here alive, even if I have to burn this entire estate to ashes.”
Suddenly, the house shuddered. The heavy thud of combat boots echoed from the grand staircase below, followed by the muffled sound of silenced gunfire. The auxiliary emergency lights clicked on, bathing the opulent bedroom in eerie amber shadows.
From the hallway speakers, Victor Sinclair’s voice crackled through the intercom system.
“Dante! Don’t bother running. Vanessa has the board documents. By midnight, your power of attorney transfers to my daughter due to your sudden 'mental instability.' Surrender Isabella, and I might let your bastard child survive in an orphanage.”
Isabella gasped, another violent contraction seizing her body. She screamed into Dante’s shoulder, her fingernails digging deep into his linen shirt.
Dante didn’t flinch. He held her tight, his jaw clenched so hard his molars ground together. He pulled his secure satellite comm from his inner pocket and tapped a rapid sequence.
“Elena,” Dante spoke into the mic, his voice chillingly calm. “Initiate Protocol Blackout. Every Sinclair account in Zurich, London, and Grand Cayman—empty them. Release the ledger to the federal prosecutor. Now.”
A voice crackled back: “Executing, Boss. What about the ground team?”
“Tell the extraction chopper to land on the master suite balcony in six minutes,” Dante said. He tucked the comm away and reached into his hidden wall safe, pulling out an assault rifle and two extra magazines.
“Dante?” Isabella breathed, panting heavily.
“No one threatens my family, Bella,” Dante said softly, checking the chamber. “Rest your body. I’m going to make sure the hallway is clear for the doctor.”
May you like
Before he could turn, the double doors of the master suite were kicked open, splintering against the frame. Two masked mercenaries stepped through, automatic weapons raised directly at the bed.
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