Dante had never felt rage like this before.
The moment he saw them take Elena…
Something inside him snapped.
The room became silent in his mind.
Cold.
Focused.
Deadly.
One of the attackers aimed a gun at him.
Dante shot him before the man could pull the trigger.
Another rushed forward.
Dante slammed him into the wall and fired.
The penthouse floor was littered with bodies within seconds.
But Elena was gone.
Gone.
One of the surviving men tried to crawl away.
Dante grabbed him by the collar.
"Where is she?"
The man laughed weakly.
"You're too late."
Dante pressed the gun against his head.
"Where."
The man's smile faded.
"They took her to the docks."
"Which dock?"
"Pier—"
BANG
The gunshot echoed through the penthouse.
Dante dropped the body.
His eyes were colder than death itself.
Ten minutes later.
Three black SUVs roared through the streets of Chicago.
Inside the first one, Dante sat silently.
Around him, his men loaded weapons.
One of them glanced at him nervously.
"Boss… what's the plan?"
Dante looked out the window.
His voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
"We bring her back."
"And the men who took her?"
Dante's eyes turned dark.
"We bury them."
At the docks, Elena slowly regained consciousness.
Her head throbbed.
Her hands were tied to a chair.
The smell of saltwater filled the air.
A man stood in front of her.
Tall.
Elegant.
Dangerous.
He smiled slightly.
"Good evening, Miss Cruz."
Her heart pounded.
"Who are you?"
The man tilted his head.
"My name is Viktor Karev."
The name meant nothing to her.
But the menace in his voice did.
"You've caused quite a bit of trouble," he continued.
"Dante Moretti isn't easy to anger."
She swallowed.
"You're using me to get to him."
"Exactly."
The man smiled again.
"But don't worry."
He leaned closer.
"You're very valuable to us."
Elena's voice trembled slightly.
"He'll come for me."
Viktor chuckled.
"Oh, I'm counting on it."
Outside the warehouse…
Black SUVs rolled silently into the shadows.
Dante stepped out.
He looked toward the building where Elena was being held.
His expression was pure darkness.
One of his men whispered,
"There are at least twenty guards inside."
Dante loaded his gun.
"Then we'll start there."
His voice dropped into something terrifying.
"No one touches what belongs to me."