Chapter 9
The kiss deepened, consuming all the oxygen in the grand library. Tessa wrapped her arms around Sebastian’s neck, her fingers tangling in the thick, loosely waved hair at the nape of his neck. The sheer masculine power of the man held her securely, his arms wrapping around her defined waist, pulling her flush against his chest. For Tessa, the terrifying Mafia Boss was entirely gone; in his place was a fiercely protective, intensely passionate man who had burned down an alliance to keep her safe.
When they finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily. The bright, cinematic firelight danced across Sebastian’s angular face.
"You are going to stay with me," Sebastian commanded softly, resting his forehead against hers. It wasn't a request; it was an absolute decree.
"I belong here," Tessa whispered back, her expressive eyes filled with unwavering devotion.
Their peaceful sanctuary was abruptly shattered by the violent, shrill ringing of the encrypted secure phone resting on the mahogany desk across the room.
Sebastian’s expression froze. The romantic charm vanished in a millisecond, replaced by the cold, calculating glare of the syndicate leader. He stepped away from Tessa, his long strides eating up the distance to the desk. He picked up the receiver, his jaw clenching.
"Speak," Sebastian ordered, his voice a low, vibrating hum of danger.
"Boss, we have a catastrophic breach," Marcus’s voice crackled through the secure line, breathless and laced with unprecedented panic. "The Sterling faction... it was a diversion. The raids on their fronts were a trap."
"Explain," Sebastian demanded, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the phone.
"They fed us false intel to pull the bulk of our strike teams out of the central district," Marcus explained rapidly. "Daphne’s father wasn't working alone. They allied with the Chicago outfit. The Chicago boys just hit our primary weapons cache downtown. But that's not the worst of it."
"Tell me," Sebastian whispered, a dark, terrifying dread pooling in his stomach.
"They breached the outer perimeter of the estate, Sebastian," Marcus said, the use of his first name highlighting the severity of the crisis. "They had inside blueprints. They disabled the eastern security grid. We have three heavily armed strike teams moving through the gardens toward the main house right now. They are coming to decapitate the command."
Sebastian slammed the receiver down. The loud crack echoed through the library.
He turned instantly toward Tessa. Her fair, rosy skin had gone deathly pale. She had heard enough of the conversation to know that death was marching toward their front door.
"Tessa," Sebastian said, his voice stripped of all emotion, operating purely on survival instinct. "Go to the safe room beneath the master suite. Lock the heavy vault door and do not open it for anyone but me or Marcus. Do you understand?"
"What about you?" Tessa cried, running toward him and grabbing the lapels of his open dress shirt. "Sebastian, they are coming to kill you!"
"They are going... to try," Sebastian corrected, his cold, intimidating eyes flashing with apocalyptic wrath.
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He reached into the hidden compartment behind his desk, pulling out a heavy, customized firearm. He checked the chamber with practiced, lethal efficiency. He looked at Tessa, his tattooed hands gripping the weapon.
"I promised you... no one would ever hurt you in this house," Sebastian stated, his deep American accent echoing with absolute finality. "I intend to keep that promise."
