Chapter 9 - The Ghost of Geneva
The words hung in the stormy air like poison. Dante’s gaze didn't waver, but inside, a seismic shockwave shattered his iron composure.
Elena.
He had stood beside an empty coffin in Switzerland six years ago, handed a fabricated death certificate while Julian and Amanda claimed she had died during childbirth due to sudden complications. That lie had broken Dante’s heart and driven him to isolate Leo in luxury, terrified that his violent world would swallow the only reminder he had left of the woman he loved.
""Where is she?"" Dante's voice dropped to a terrifying, deadly whisper.
Thorne coughed, his face contorted in agony as rain washed the blood across his cheeks. ""Kill me... and the coordinates die with me. The container ship... the Leviathan. She’s on board. She was the collateral Julian promised to ensure my loyalty.""
Dante didn't waste another second. He struck Thorne with the butt of his weapon, rendering him instantly unconscious.
Dante turned back to the smoke-filled switching station. Julian was still crawling across the floor, gagging from the gas, desperately trying to unbind his wrists against a sharp metal edge.
Dante walked inside, grabbed Julian by his collar, and hoisted him off the ground with one arm as if he weighed nothing. He slammed the younger man against the wall.
""Amanda forged the death certificate,"" Dante said, his voice terrifyingly quiet. ""Didn't she?""
Julian went pale as a ghost, his eyes wide with utter terror. ""Dante, please! It was Amanda's mother! They wanted Elena out of the picture so Julian could control the family trust! They paid the clinic doctors to induce a coma and move her to a private facility! Thorne took her three days ago as insurance!""
""Is she on that ship?"" Dante demanded, tightening his grip until Julian’s feet dangled above the floor.
""Yes! In the cargo hold! Lower level sub-deck three!"" Julian sobbed, choking for breath. ""They're scheduled to set sail for international waters in twenty minutes! Please, Dante, don't kill me!""
Dante dropped Julian to the floor like a sack of trash. ""If you ever show your face in this city again, Julian, I won't just kill you. I will erase your name from every record on earth.""
Dante grabbed his radio, switching to Marcus’s encrypted channel. ""Marcus. Bring the boy to the harbor master’s tower. Keep him secure.""
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""Boss? What about you?"" Marcus’s static-filled voice crackled back.
Dante looked out across the black, churning bay toward the massive silhouette of the Leviathan, its deck lights cutting through the tempest. ""I'm taking back my family.""
