Chapter 2 - The Underworld’s ReachThe morning sun broke over Seattle, painting the grey waters of Puget Sound in pale amber, but inside the hospital, the war had only just begun. While Dante slept fitfully under heavy sedation, the armed guards stationed outside his room were replaced by men wearing sharp, expensive suits that couldn't quite conceal the tactical harnesses beneath their jackets.
I was at the nurse's station reviewing chart histories when a tall, imposing man with a jagged scar across his jaw and eyes like polished obsidian approached me. His name was Mateo Vance—Dante’s second-in-command and the man who kept the Moretti empire running while Dante bled.
"Dr. Callahan," Mateo said, nodding with a stiff, professional respect. "Mr. Moretti’s condition is stabilizing, but the hospital is no longer secure. The men who hit him last night aren't local thugs. They belong to the Rossi family out of Chicago. They’ve caught wind that Dante survived the initial ambush, and they’re sending a clean-up crew."
"This is a public hospital," I said, my heart skipping a beat as I thought of Mia, safely asleep five miles away with our neighbor Kate. "You can't bring a turf war inside these walls. I have patients here—children, families."
"Which is why Mr. Moretti is being discharged into a secure medical facility within the hour," Mateo replied smoothly, sliding a heavy, encrypted burner phone across the counter toward me. "He refuses to move until you agree to hear him out, and he insists that you and Mia are transferred under our protection immediately."
"I am not going anywhere with you, and my daughter is staying out of this," I snapped, pushing the phone back. "I spent six years building a safe life for Mia. I am a doctor, not a hostage in your criminal syndicate."
Before Mateo could answer, my cell phone rang. It was Kate, my neighbor.
"Claire," Kate's voice trembled through the speaker, sounding panicked and breathless. "I don't want to alarm you, but there's a black SUV idling outside your house. Two men in dark coats just walked up to the porch, knocked twice, and tried the front door handle. I've got Mia locked in the back bedroom with me. What do we do?"
My blood ran cold. The Rossi family hadn't just targeted Dante at the hospital; they had already found my address.
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"Kate, listen to me," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. "Do not open the door. Call 911 right now, and then call my lawyer, Sofia. I am coming home."
I hung up and looked straight at Mateo, my fury entirely eclipsed by a mother's sheer terror. "Get your car," I whispered. "If a single hair on my daughter's head is harmed, I swear to God I will finish what the bullets started."
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