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The silence in the master bedroom stretched so tight I could hear the slow, heavy drip of my own pulse in my ears. Dominic Rossi’s dark eyes locked onto mine, burning with a feverish intensity that should have sent me running back down the hallway and out into the rain / Chapter 26 / 40

Chapter 26 - The Syndicate’s New Order

By dawn, the Palermo harbor was secure. The illegal weapons and synthetic drug crates were impounded under Rossi control, and the surviving Corsican operatives were locked securely in the syndicate’s southern holding cells.

The sun rose over the Mediterranean, casting a brilliant, warm light across the water as Salvatore handed Dominic the final manifest tablet.

“The Vipera network’s supply line in the south is completely broken, Boss,” Salvatore reported, his expression grim yet satisfied. “Isabella Moretti was right. Their financial backers in Marseille are now completely exposed.”

Dominic nodded slowly, dismissing Salvatore with a wave of his hand. He turned to look at me as I meticulously packed my medical bag back up, wiping a smudge of engine grease off my cheek.

“You saved my life again,” Dominic said softly, walking over and taking the medical bag out of my hands, setting it aside on a crate.

“It’s becoming a bad habit,” I replied, looking up into his dark, intense eyes. “Next time, buy a bulletproof vest that actually covers your back.”

Dominic laughed—a rich, deep sound that carried out over the quiet harbor—and pulled me into his arms, kissing me with a fierce, possessive intensity that erased every lingering shadow of the night’s violence.

When we returned to the coastal villa later that morning, Isabella Moretti was waiting for us on the terrace, sipping espresso under the bougainvillea.

“I see you survived,” Isabella noted dryly, setting her cup down. “The Corsicans won’t take this lying down, Dominic. They’ll send someone higher up the chain.”

“Let them come,” Dominic replied calmly, keeping his arm securely wrapped around my waist. “My house is secure. My ports are clean. And my medical staff is entirely non-negotiable.”

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