Chapter 20 - The Unseen Horizon
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“Elvira,” Lorenzo gasped, his hands shaking violently as he pulled a pocket knife and slashed the thick plastic zip-ties binding her wrists.
He pulled her into his arms, crushing her against his chest. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the scent of her, shaking with the adrenaline and the sheer, overwhelming terror of almost losing her.
“I’m okay,” Elvira sobbed, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, holding on to him as if he were the only solid thing left in the world. “I’m okay, Lorenzo.”
Lorenzo pulled back just enough to look at her face. He saw the red welt on her cheek, the cut on her lip. His eyes darkened with a murderous rage. He stood up, pulling Elvira to her feet and tucking her safely behind his broad back.
He turned to look at Isabella, who was sobbing hysterically on the floor, cradling her bloody wrist. Victor Thorne stood nearby, his hands raised in surrender, surrounded by Moretti guns.
“Lorenzo, please,” Victor begged, the arrogance completely gone. “We surrender. The territory is yours. Just let my daughter live.”
Lorenzo stared at the man who had tried to take his life, his business, and the woman he loved.
“You broke the rules of this city, Victor,” Lorenzo said, his voice echoing coldly through the quiet warehouse. “You went after my family. You don't get to surrender.”
He turned to Rocco. “Take them both to the basement. Make sure they never see daylight again. And find Marco at the estate. He’s the rat who sold her out. Bring him to me.”
Rocco nodded grimly. “Yes, Boss.”
Lorenzo turned back to Elvira, the monster disappearing instantly. He scooped her up effortlessly into his arms, carrying her away from the blood and the darkness, walking her out into the cool, cleansing night air.
As he set her in the back of the armored SUV, he climbed in beside her, pulling her close.
“I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” Lorenzo promised fiercely, kissing the top of her head.
Elvira rested her head against his chest, finally feeling safe. The Thorne family was destroyed. The children were secure.
But as the SUV sped away from the docks, far behind them in the shadows of an alleyway, a sleek black car idled quietly. Inside the car, a man in a sharp suit lowered binoculars from his eyes, watching the Moretti convoy disappear.
He picked up a secure satellite phone and dialed an international number.
“Thorne failed,” the man said smoothly into the receiver. “Moretti survived the trap. The girl is with him.”
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A dark chuckle answered from the other end of the line.
“Excellent,” the voice replied. “Then the board is set. Tell the Commission it’s time to move into Chicago. Let’s see how hard the King fights to protect his new Queen.”
