Chapter 10
The bodyguards moved with swift, silent efficiency. Two of them hauled the groaning, bleeding Chase from the wreckage of the planters, dragging him by his expensive suit jacket. The other two converged on Tove. They hauled the screaming, thrashing woman to her feet, her elegant outfit tearing in their unyielding grip.
"Cullen! You can't do this!" Tove shrieked, kicking wildly as the guards dragged her toward the service doors. "My father will kill you! The Mercer syndicate will burn this city to the ground!"
Cullen ignored her completely. He turned his back on the hysterical woman, his handsome, angular face perfectly composed in the bright, natural light. He walked slowly toward the exit, leaving the destroyed conservatory behind him.
He moved through the vast, immaculate corridors of the mansion until he reached the heavy oak doors of the east wing. He unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The room was warm and quiet. Margaret sat in a rocking chair, holding Mireya securely in her arms. The little girl was breathing evenly now, her fair, rosy cheeks flushed with a healthy color. She looked up as her father entered, a tired but happy smile spreading across her face.
"Daddy," Mireya whispered, reaching her small arms out to him.
Cullen’s cold, intimidating aura vanished instantly. He crossed the room and gently took his daughter from his mother’s arms, holding her tightly against his chest. He closed his eyes, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair, the overwhelming relief finally washing over him.
"I've got you, my angel," Cullen murmured warmly. "You are safe."
"Are the bad people gone?" Mireya asked, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Yes, baby," Cullen promised. "They are gone forever."
Margaret stood up, placing a trembling hand on her son's arm. "Cullen... the Mercers are powerful. If you do this, if you break the alliance, it means war."
"I know, Mother," Cullen said, opening his eyes. The cold, sharp look of the Mafia Boss returned, calculating and utterly fearless. "Let them come. I will drown them in their own blood before I let anyone threaten this family again."
His smartphone vibrated in his tailored pocket. He pulled it out, checking the encrypted message on the screen. It was from his lead enforcer.
The Mercer patriarch has been alerted. They are mobilizing their forces downtown. Awaiting your command.
Cullen looked at the screen, a dark, terrifying smirk touching his lips. He typed a single, definitive reply.
May you like
Burn them all.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket, holding his daughter close in the bright, cinematic light of the nursery. The war for the city had officially begun, and Cullen Ravello was ready to show the underworld exactly what happens when you break the rules.
