THE SHADOW OVER THE MAFIA HEIR

Ethan slammed into Dante's waist, burying his face in his father's torn shirt. Dante groaned slightly at the impact, but his hand immediately came down to cup the back of his son's head, pulling him in with fierce, unyielding protection.

""I told you,"" Ethan choked back tears. ""I told them you wouldn't die.""

""A Moretto doesn't die in a hole, son,"" Dante murmured, his voice softening for a fraction of a second before he lifted his gaze back to the terrified men in the room.

Elena stood frozen, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. Lily peeked around her mother's skirt, her hazel eyes lighting up. ""Mr. Dante! You washed off the fire!""

Dante limped slowly into the room. Every capo stepped back, bowing their heads in profound terror and relief. Dante stopped right before Roberto, who was trembling on the floor like a frightened animal.

""You wanted to hand my family over to Victor?"" Dante asked, his tone deceptively conversational.

""Dante... boss... I thought you were dead! I was trying to preserve the synd—""

Roberto didn't finish the sentence. Dante drew a snub-nosed revolver from his waistband and pressed the barrel directly between Roberto’s eyes.

""You have five minutes to leave Europe,"" Dante said coldly. ""If I see your face on this continent when the sun comes up, I will feed you to the pigs in Calabria.""

Roberto scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward the service stairs without looking back once.

Dante turned to Leonardo. ""How much time do we have?""

""Victor has called an emergency summit of the Five Families at the old cathedral ruins outside Milan for dawn,"" Leonardo replied, handing his brother a clean towel and a fresh magazine. ""He thinks he has the numbers to force a vote and absorb our empire legally under syndicate law.""