Chapter 15 - The Reluctant Fortress
"I can't just hide in a mansion!" Vera protested, stepping back as the sheer weight of her situation crashed down on her. "I have a job! I have forty animals depending on me for their morning meds! And what about the terrier? Where is he?"
"The dog is recovering in the estate’s veterinary wing," Enzo cut in, his tone leaving no room for argument. "And as for your job, effective immediately, the municipal shelter on 4th Street is under the protection of the Falcone syndicate. Your animals will receive three times the resources they had yesterday. But you will not step foot outside these gates until Julian Cross is buried."
Vance turned to Marco. "Double the internal security. Clear the west wing for Miss Sullivan. And bring her personal belongings from her apartment before dawn. I want no loose threads."
"Yes, Boss," Marco said, turning briskly toward the door.
Vance looked back at Vera, who stood frozen by the examination table, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She had spent her entire life surviving on insulin schedules, budgeting every penny for shelter supplies, living in a world of quiet, honest struggle. In less than twelve hours, she had been pulled out of the rain by a mythical criminal syndicate kingpin and thrust into a turf war that could cost her life.
"Why are you doing this?" Vera asked, her voice trembling slightly. "You could have dropped me off at a regular hospital this afternoon. You could have walked away. Why tie yourself to a liability like me?"
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Enzo walked slowly toward her, stopping just a foot away. Up close, the lines on his face told a story of calculated violence and iron-clad survival.
"Because thirty years ago, I let someone I cared about walk into a trap like this, and I paid for it with a lifetime of ice," Enzo said quietly, his gaze locked onto hers. "I am not going to watch history repeat itself over a stray dog."
