Chapter 6
Leander let out a low, rumbling chuckle, a sound that hadn't echoed in the estate since the day his car was forced off the mountain road. The heavy tension in his broad shoulders relaxed slightly, the throbbing pain in his shattered arm momentarily forgotten in the warmth of her presence.
"No, I suppose not," Leander murmured, his dark eyes tracing the delicate lines of her face. "You are far braver than any soldier in my syndicate."
"I will stay with you, Leander. Whatever comes," Althea promised, leaning into his warm palm.
Leander leaned down, closing the distance between them, and pressed a deep, lingering kiss to her forehead. It was a seal on the quiet, mutual affection that had finally been brought into the light. The terrifying mafia boss had stripped away every layer of his armor for the housemaid who had risked her life to protect him.
But as he held her in the quiet reception hall, a sharp, urgent knock echoed from the heavy oak doors at the far end of the room. Leander pulled back slightly, his sharp jawline tightening instantly as the cold, calculating mask of the syndicate head returned.
"Will you enter?" Leander called out, his voice returning to its measured, authoritative cadence.
His lead enforcer, a seasoned man named Silas, stepped into the room. His face was grim under the bright cinematic light, his dark suit dusted with what looked like plaster and ash.
"Boss, we have a critical situation," Silas reported, his voice tight and urgent. "Oswald didn't wait to see if his public intimidation tactic was successful. He arranged a backup plan. The Moretti family bypassed the outer perimeter defenses and are currently breaching the southern gates with heavy artillery."
Leander’s eyes darkened to pitch. The immediate threat was not eliminated; it had simply shifted from an internal coup to an external invasion. He looked down at Althea, the fierce protective instinct surging through his veins. The true war for the Greystone syndicate had only just begun.
"Are they demanding negotiations, or are they here to slaughter us all?" Leander asked, his voice a lethal, terrifying calm.
"They’re not talking, Boss. They're shooting," Silas confirmed, checking the magazine of his sidearm. "We're holding them at the main driveway, but they have superior numbers. We need you in the command center."
"Do they truly believe they can lay siege to my home and live to see the sunrise?" Leander asked, a cold, ruthless smirk touching his lips.
He turned his broad shoulders back to Althea. The beautiful housemaid was trembling, her fair skin pale with terror, but she did not shrink away from him. Her expressive eyes were locked on his face.
"Will you go down to the secure bunker beneath the wine cellar and wait there until this is over?" Leander asked, his voice softening entirely as he looked at her.
"No," Althea said, shaking her head fiercely. She reached out, grabbing the lapels of his tailored dark suit with both hands. "Please, Leander. Don't go out there. They want a war. They will kill you."
"Do you think I can allow an enemy to march onto my property and threaten the people I love without consequence?" Leander asked, his dark eyes burning with an intense, unwavering devotion.
"I don't want you to die for this," she sobbed, burying her face against his chest.
Leander wrapped his uninjured right arm around her, pulling her tightly against him. He kissed the top of her neatly pinned hair, his heart aching at the fear in her voice.
"Did you honestly believe a man who finally found something worth living for would allow himself to be killed by a rival syndicate?" Leander whispered fiercely into her hair. "I will come back to you. I promise you."
He gently pulled her away, looking deep into her expressive eyes.
"Will you trust me?" he asked.
Althea nodded slowly, wiping her tears. "I trust you."
Leander gave her a brief, fierce smile. He turned to Silas. "Escort her to the bunker. If anyone other than me tries to open that door, shoot them through it."
May you like
"Yes, Boss," Silas nodded grimly.
Leander didn't wait. He turned on his heel and strode out of the reception hall, heading directly for the armory, leaving Althea standing in the quiet, agonizing wait of the bunker.
