Chapter 3 - THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
By 3:00 AM, a fleet of five blacked-out, bulletproof SUVs pulled silently up to the edge of the industrial district. Damian’s true loyalists—a shadow unit known only as the Iron Guard, led by a ruthless woman named Valeria—had arrived to secure their leader.
Valeria swept into the basement hideout, her tactical boots stepping over Lorenzo’s corpse without a second glance. She bowed her head slightly toward Damian, then turned a razor-sharp gaze upon Nora.
"Who is the civilian, Boss?" Valeria asked, her hand resting casually on the hilt of her sidearm. "Should I dispose of her?"
"Touch her, and I will personally skin you alive, Valeria," Damian said, his voice flat and deadly.
Valeria’s eyes widened slightly in sheer shock. In all her years serving the Costa family, she had never heard Damian speak with such defensive fury—especially for an unknown girl dressed in grease-stained rags.
"Get the cars ready," Damian commanded. "We move to the Lakefront Estate. Initiate Protocol Zero. I want every Falcone asset in the city mapped, tracked, and ready for extermination by sunrise."
Within minutes, Nora was ushered into the back of a luxurious, armored vehicle. The contrast was staggering. Hours ago, she was scrubbing dried grease off diner plates for minimum wage; now, she was sitting on heated Italian leather beside the most feared crime boss in the Midwest, surrounded by heavily armed mercenaries.
As the convoy sped through the rain-slicked streets of Chicago, Damian looked at Nora. She was wrapped in his cashmere coat, shivering slightly as she stared out the tinted windows at the passing neon lights.
"You saved my life twice tonight," Damian said quietly. "Once in the alley, and once with that hot plate. I don't owe debts, Nora. I clear them."
"I don't want your money," Nora said, turning to face him, her eyes bright with defiance. "I saved you because it was the right thing to do. Not for a payday."
Damian smiled—a rare, dangerous curve of his lips that sent a chill down her spine. "I know. That’s precisely why you’re dangerous. Everyone in my world wants something—power, land, blood, or money. But you? You act out of pure conviction. That makes you unpredictable."
He leaned closer, his dark gaze locking onto hers. "Falcone thinks he killed me tonight. He thinks Lorenzo succeeded. Tomorrow morning, he will attempt a full takeover of my real estate holdings downtown. He expects a funeral. Instead, I’m going to give him a massacre."
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"And what happens to me?" Nora asked quietly.
"You stay by my side," Damian said softly, taking her hand once more. "Where I can see you. Where no one can touch you."
