Chapter 9 – The Devil’s Bargain
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1:45 A.M. – Dante's Loft
The rain tapped softly on the windows of Dante's loft like a lullaby no one could sleep to. He stood at the kitchen island, shirtless, a scotch in one hand, and a SIG resting on the granite counter beside him. The light above buzzed, casting shadows across his scars—physical memories of a life never fully escaped.
Behind him, Aria lay curled on the couch in one of his flannels, eyes wide open, watching the storm. She hadn't spoken much since the near-kidnapping. Neither had he.
But silence had its own language.
"You didn't have to save me again," she said quietly.
Dante took a sip, didn't turn. "Yeah, I did."
She frowned. "Because I'm bait? Or because you care?"
That made him turn.
His eyes locked onto hers. "Both."
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The Morning After – The Safehouse
Killian was pissed.
"This isn't the plan, Dante. We were ghosts. Now you're playing knight in bloody armor."
Dante checked the chamber of a new pistol. "They're not coming for me anymore. They're coming for her. That changes things."
"Yeah, it does. It means they've found your weakness." Killian tossed a stack of photos onto the table—surveillance snapshots of Aria's dorm, her lecture hall, the café she liked.
Dante stared at them.
His jaw clenched.
Killian lowered his voice. "I get it, brother. She sees the human in you. But don't let that cost you the war."
Dante nodded once. "It won't. But I'll be damned if it costs her life."
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Nico Verratti – The Devil's Table
In a luxury steakhouse downtown—private room, bulletproof glass—Nico Verratti sat with Marco Eladio and two other crime bosses: Kazimir Dragovich of the Russian Bratva and Wei Jun of the Southern Triad.
The table was tense.
The plates untouched.
"What are we doing here, Nico?" Dragovich asked in a thick accent. "You're bleeding foot soldiers and torching half the city's profits chasing a ghost."
Nico kept his composure. Barely. "That 'ghost' knows too much. And he's not just coming for me—he's unraveling all of us."
Wei Jun adjusted his glasses. "Then perhaps we make peace. Let the dead remain buried."
Nico's fists curled beneath the table. "You want to negotiate with a man who murdered my brother?"
Dragovich laughed. "You murdered your own brother, Nico. You just used Dante as the knife."
The room froze.
Marco Eladio sipped his wine, unfazed.
Nico forced a smile. "Fine. If none of you will back me, I'll deal with this myself."
He stood, tossed his napkin on the table, and left.
Marco waited until the door shut.
Then leaned forward.
"Gentlemen," he said smoothly, "how do you feel about a change in management?"
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Aria – The Truth She Didn't Want
Back in Dante's loft, Aria sat cross-legged with her laptop open and a dozen open tabs. Her screen was filled with articles—deaths, disappearances, and court cases—all centered around one name:
Dante Moretti.
Former detective.
Undercover operative.
But also—listed in three open investigations for murder.
Her heart twisted. She didn't want to believe he was that man. The man the media called "the Butcher of Belgrave."
But the photos didn't lie.
She closed the laptop.
"I was never supposed to see this side of you, was I?" she said aloud.
"Then stop looking for it."
She turned.
Dante stood behind her, quiet as a shadow.
She searched his face for something—remorse, fear, truth. Instead, she saw only exhaustion.
"I'm not a good man," he said. "But I am a necessary one."
"And what am I, Dante?" she asked softly. "A distraction? A project?"
He took a step closer.
"You're the only thing keeping me human."
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Killian – Digging Deeper
Elsewhere, Killian cracked into Marco Eladio's encrypted files using the stolen Triad drive from Chapter 5. What he found chilled even him.
Dozens of records.
Photos of torture chambers. Import logs of weapons. Lists of political bribes.
And one folder, oddly titled: "Red Winter."
Inside it?
Blueprints of an operation to consolidate the East Coast's five major criminal factions—by force. Eladio wasn't just a guest in Nico's empire.
He was a hostile takeover.
Killian grabbed his phone.
"Dante. We've got bigger problems."
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Dante – The Meeting with Carmen
Carmen Vescari, widow of Vulture capo Sal Vescari, was a rare woman in this world: ruthless, loyal, and smart enough to survive it all.
Dante met her in a closed cathedral still under renovation. The pews were gone, but the stained glass cast colored light over their table like judgment.
She smoked a clove cigarette, watching him. "You've got Nico dancing. I'll give you that."
"I need allies. Not admirers."
She smirked. "You always were charming when covered in blood."
Dante slid a folder across the table—Eladio's files.
Her smile vanished.
"He's planning to take it all."
Dante nodded. "Which means I need your help before he slits Nico's throat and wears his skin."
She exhaled slowly. "If I side with you, I put a target on my back."
"You already have one. This just moves it forward."
She looked up, her voice quieter now. "You're playing a long game, Dante."
"I'm just trying to finish one I never started."
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The Kidnapping Attempt – Part Two
Despite increased security, Aria's safety was still precarious. Dante assigned two ex-military friends to tail her when he wasn't around—Sam and Milo, both former Recon.
They kept eyes on her while she went to class, worked at the gallery, or met with her advisor.
But Marco's men were getting bolder.
One evening, as Aria left her art history seminar, a white van with no plates pulled into the lot. The side door flung open. Three men in black tactical gear jumped out.
Sam and Milo reacted fast—guns drawn, cover positions taken—but there were too many.
A stun grenade was thrown.
Aria was grabbed.
And just before they drove off—
Dante appeared, riding a black Ducati, gun already blazing.
Tires screeched.
Shots fired.
The van skidded and flipped into a tree.
Dante ran to the wreckage, tearing open the doors—
Aria was alive. Shaking. Coughing.
But alive.
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The Decision
Later, as medics checked her, and police looked the other way—thanks to Killian's bribes—Aria sat on the curb, wrapped in a blanket.
Dante sat beside her, silent.
Finally, she said, "They're not going to stop, are they?"
"No."
"Then I need to learn to fight."
Dante turned.
Aria looked at him, eyes steady.
"No more waiting to be rescued. I want to help."
He saw it in her—the fire, the steel.
He nodded once.
"Then we start tomorrow."
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Marco Eladio – The Retaliation
Eladio was furious.
Three of his men—dead. His attempt to take the girl—failed.
"You want to show the city that Dante can protect what's his?" he snarled to Paolo. "Then let's show them what happens when someone can't."
He handed Paolo a photograph.
Carmen Vescari.
"I want her house burned. And I want it public."
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End of Chapter Hook
That night, Carmen's estate exploded in flames visible across two boroughs.
She wasn't home.
But her maid was.
And her dog.
The message was clear.
No one was safe.
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