Chapter 9 - The River of Ash
The underground canal was damp and pitch-black, illuminated only by the faint red glow of emergency exit lights. The water rippled quietly against the hulls of two matte-black, military-grade interceptor boats docked in the narrow subterranean slips.
Dante lifted Ethan and Lily into the cockpit of the lead boat, securing their harnesses into the reinforced passenger bucket seats.
""Elena, get behind the helm,"" Dante commanded, guiding her hands to the dual throttles and the ignition panel.
""Me? Dante, I don't know how to pilot a boat like this!"" Elena cried, panic rising in her throat as the digital dials flashed green across the console.
""It has automatic navigation,"" Dante replied calmly, leaning over her to punch coordinates into the military GPS. ""It will follow the subterranean river beneath the mountain and exit two miles downstream into Lake Como. There is an airstrip on the northern shore. My brother Leonardo is waiting with a private jet. He will take you and the kids out of the country.""
Elena's eyes widened in sudden realization. She grabbed Dante's wrist, feeling the cold steel of his combat watch against her fingers. ""You aren't coming with us.""
Dante didn't look away. ""Someone has to detonate the secondary charges at the canal mouth to keep their pursuit craft from following you. The remote won't reach through two hundred feet of solid granite bedrock. It has to be triggered from the manual console on the dock.""
""No!"" Ethan yelled from the backseat, struggling against his five-point harness. ""Dad, don't stay! You promised we would fight together!""
""Ethan,"" Dante barked, his voice carrying the absolute authority of a warlord and the deep, tender love of a father. ""Your first duty as a Moretto is to protect this family. You are the man of this house if I fall. You protect Elena. You protect Lily. Do you understand me?""
Ethan’s chin quivered, but he swallowed his tears, clenching his small fists until his knuckles turned white. ""Yes, sir.""
Dante leaned down and pressed a kiss to Lily's curly hair, then turned to Elena. Before she could protest again, Dante pulled her in, his lips crashing against hers in a fierce, desperate, bruising kiss that tasted of iron, ash, and unspoken promises.
""Live, Elena,"" Dante whispered against her lips.
May you like
He slammed the throttle forward, jumped backward onto the wooden dock, and hit the mechanical release lever. The heavy boat surged forward with a deafening roar, cutting through the black water toward the subterranean tunnel mouth.
Behind him, Dante turned around. Standing at the entrance of the boat slip, illuminated by the red emergency lights, was Victor Castiglione, accompanied by six armed mercenaries.
