The early morning sun did nothing to warm the cold silence in the Castellano penthouse. Kai sat at his desk, fingers steepled, eyes scanning the latest intelligence Marsh had brought him. Alessio was making moves—fast, brutal, desperate.
Gianna watched from the corner, her jaw tight. "He's coming for me," she whispered.
Kai didn't look up. "Then we make sure he regrets it."
---
The message had been clear: Alessio was sending a warning, but beneath it simmered a threat darker than either of them had imagined. A list of targets—friends, allies, even innocents caught in the crossfire.
Gianna's eyes burned with something fierce. "If he thinks he can use me as a pawn, he's dead wrong."
Kai rose, crossing to her with slow, deliberate steps. His hands found her face, thumbs brushing along her cheekbones.
"You're not his," he said softly, voice low and dangerous. "You belong with me. And I'll protect you from every shadow he casts."
---
Later that night, the city held its breath.
Gunfire shattered the quiet near a warehouse rumored to be a La Rosa Nera hideout. Kai's men moved like ghosts, striking swift and silent.
Gianna watched from a rooftop, heart pounding, as explosions lit the sky like violent fireworks. Every spark a reminder of the war they were waging—not just for power, but for survival.
Kai's voice crackled through her earpiece. "Stay close."
She swallowed hard, adrenaline lacing every nerve.
---
Back inside the penthouse, the tension between them was electric, charged with the danger outside and the unspoken between them.
Kai pulled Gianna into his arms, his mouth trailing along her jaw, breath hot against her skin.
"I need you," he murmured.
She tilted her head up, lips barely brushing his. "Show me."
---
The next hours blurred into a fevered dance of need and desire. Kai's hands mapped every inch of her body with fierce tenderness, each touch igniting a fire beneath her skin.
Gianna responded with a hunger that surprised even her—fingers tangling in his hair, lips crashing against his with a desperate heat that burned away the day's fears.
In the dark, they found something fierce and raw—a fragile sanctuary from the war raging outside their door.
---
But as dawn crept through the windows, reality slammed back.
Marsh burst in, urgency written across his face. "Alessio's made his move. He's going after your father."
Kai's jaw clenched, eyes blazing. "Then we end this."
Gianna nodded, strength settling in her bones. "Together."
---
The war was far from over.
But Kai and Gianna were ready to burn everything down if they had to.
---