Chapter 20 - The Unseen Horizon
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As Lily walked toward the master bedroom to change, the private, encrypted elevator at the end of the hallway chimed softly.
Gabriel’s demeanor instantly shifted. His hand moved subtly toward the weapon concealed under his suit jacket. Only his top three lieutenants had biometric access to that elevator without prior clearance.
The steel doors slid open.
Elias stepped out, his massive frame tense, his face pale and grim. He carried a small, heavy black box in his hands.
"Boss," Elias said, his voice unusually tight.
Gabriel stepped between Lily and the elevator, acting as an immediate shield. "What is it, Elias?"
"This was left at the front desk of the lobby," Elias reported, walking slowly forward. "The courier bypassed three layers of our security before the cameras even caught him. He left the box and vanished."
Gabriel’s jaw locked. He took the heavy black box from his lieutenant. It was unadorned, save for a single, wax seal on the top.
The seal bore the crest of a silver wolf.
Gabriel's blood ran completely cold.
Lily stepped out from behind him, sensing the sudden, suffocating tension in the room. She looked at the box, then at Gabriel's face.
"Gabriel?" she asked quietly. "What does that seal mean?"
Gabriel stared at the silver wolf, his dark eyes flashing with a mixture of old hatred and impending war.
"It means," Gabriel whispered, his voice dangerously low, "that the Falcone family in New York just found out I crippled their biggest financial backer."
He slowly opened the lid of the black box.
Inside rested a single, polished silver bullet, and a short, handwritten note on heavy parchment paper.
Gabriel picked up the note. His eyes scanned the brief message, the muscles in his jaw ticking furiously.
"What does it say?" Lily pressed, stepping closer to his side, her fear entirely replaced by a fierce, protective readiness.
Gabriel looked down at the woman he loved. The woman he had burned an empire down for.
He handed her the note.
Lily read the elegant script aloud.
"The game isn't over, Gabriel. See you soon."
Lily looked up at the man who had pulled her from the dark. She didn't tremble. She didn't panic. She reached out and took his hand, lacing her fingers tightly through his.
May you like
"Let them come," she said fiercely.
Gabriel smiled, a dark, terrifying promise of violence and devotion. The first war was over, but the reign of the Thorne Syndicate was just beginning.
