VENDETTA BENEATH THE HOSPITAL LIGHTS

The rain began to pour outside, turning the shattered windows of the administrative office into weeping waterfalls of grey water and neon light. Director Vance lay motionless beneath Bruno’s crushing weight, her eyes wide with terror as the massive dog bared its teeth inches from her throat.

The door of the office burst open, and Dante stepped inside, his hospital trousers torn, blood staining his white shirt, his dark hair soaked with sweat and rain. He looked like an apparition risen straight from the underworld. He walked slowly toward the desk, his bare feet making no sound, his dark eyes fixed on Vance with a terrifying emptiness.

“Dante...” Vance choked out, gasping for air against the dog’s chest. “You... you can’t win. The whole city is moving past you. The council... they’ve already taken the shipping yards.”

Dante stopped inches from the desk. He leaned down slightly, resting his palms on the polished wood, staring directly into her terrified eyes.

“The shipping yards were built on blood and concrete long before those corporate cowards ever stepped foot in a boardroom,” Dante said softly, his voice echoing like thunder in the small room. “They think because I was in a hospital bed, the crown was up for grabs. They forgot who owns the docks.”

He reached out and plucked the encrypted tablet from Vance’s fingers, tapping the screen to bring up the live facility map. Every security camera, every locked corridor, and every tactical team position lit up in glowing red dots across the digital floor plan. Voss and his remaining men were currently cornered in the central penthouse elevator lobby, trying to escape before federal authorities arrived.

Clara stood near the door, trembling, watching Dante with a mixture of fear and awe. “Mr. Marchesi... the police are two minutes away. But so are Voss’s reinforcement units from the lower parking garage.”

Dante straightened up, sliding the tablet into his waistband. He looked at Clara, his fierce expression softening just a fraction. “You saved my life in that ambulance, Clara. Tonight, I return the favor. Take the service stairs down to the ambulance bay. There’s an unmarked black SUV idling in slot three. Drive until you hit the state line, and don't look back.”