Waking Up in the Underworld

The return drive to Ravenscourt estate was conducted in total, suffocating silence. No one spoke. The fire at the docks was only the opening salvo of a full-scale turf war that Rossi had decided to accelerate because of my sudden appearance.

Once we re-entered the mansion, Damon didn't go to his office or his private quarters. He dragged me straight into his underground command center—a heavily fortified subterranean bunker filled with glowing monitors, encrypted servers, and tactical maps of Boston.

"Marcus," Damon ordered sharply, tossing his car keys onto a steel desk. "Double the perimeter guards. Activate the secondary sniper nests on the east ridge. Nobody enters or leaves Ravenscourt without my direct authorization."

"Already on it, Boss," Marcus replied, typing furiously on a terminal. "And the Mayor's Ball tomorrow night? Are we canceling?"

"Cancel?" Damon turned, his pale gray eyes flashing with a dark, terrifying resolve. "We don't hide from Salvatore Rossi in our own city. We go to the ball. And we show them exactly what happens when you threaten a Castellano."

I stood near the edge of the command center, feeling entirely out of my depth. "Damon... I can't go to that ball. Look at what’s happening! People are burning buildings down over this fake engagement. If I walk into a room full of hundreds of elite guests, I’m going to make a mistake. I’ll trip, I’ll say the wrong thing, or I’ll throw up from sheer panic."

Damon walked over, stopping right in front of me. He reached out, taking both of my trembling hands in his large, scarred palms.

"You won't make a mistake, Vivian," he said softly, his voice cutting through my panic like a steady anchor. "Because you won't be walking in alone. I will have my hand at your waist every single second of the night. You just have to breathe, trust me, and let me handle the monsters."

I looked up into his face, seeing the fierce, unyielding devotion burning behind his cold exterior. In less than forty-eight hours, this terrifying mafia boss had turned his entire world upside down just to keep me breathing.

"Okay," I whispered, the fear still clawing at my throat, but my resolve hardening. "I'll do it. But if I step on your toes during the waltz, you're on your own."