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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 27 / 40

Chapter 27 - The Marseille Ultimatum

Three weeks after the harbor raid, the tension across the Mediterranean shifted from active warfare to cold, calculated chess moves. The Vipera network in Marseille, stung by the loss of their primary smuggling route, attempted to open diplomatic channels—a polite word for threats disguised as corporate negotiations.

Dominic sat behind the heavy mahogany desk in the villa’s study, staring at a formal, cream-colored envelope bearing the crest of the Marseille syndicate.

“They want a face-to-face summit,” Dominic said, his voice cold as ice. “Neutral territory. Corsica.”

I looked up from the medical inventory sheets I was reviewing. “A trap.”

“Obviously,” Dominic replied, leaning back in his leather chair. “They want to draw me away from my territory, away from my guards, and settle the score once and for all.”

“Then we don’t go,” I said simply.

“We do,” Dominic corrected, looking at me with absolute certainty. “Because if I don’t meet them on their terms, they will target our operations here in Palermo. I end wars on my terms, Nora. Not theirs.”

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“Fine,” I sighed, closing my folder and standing up. “If you’re going to a suicide summit in Corsica, I’m packing extra trauma kits, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and a second backup pistol. Rule three: whatever you do, I go with you.”

Dominic’s lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. “I wouldn’t dream of taking a trip without my favorite doctor.”

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