Chapter 5 - The Intrusion in the Hallway
The heavy oak doors burst open before Dante could give permission to enter.
Mrs. Doyle stood in the doorway, her usually pristine gray bun slightly unraveling, her face flushed with an ugly mix of panic and indignation. Behind her stood two of the estate’s junior footmen, looking pale and uncertain.
"Mr. Marchetti," Mrs. Doyle gasped, panting slightly as if she had run all the way from the ground floor. "You must come downstairs immediately. There is... there is an incident in the rear courtyard."
Dante’s expression didn't change, but the temperature in the room plummeted. "What kind of incident, Mrs. Doyle?"
"It's... it's Captain Vitali’s men," she stammered, wringing her hands together. "Four of them. They just forced their way past the iron gates in a black sedan. They're demanding to see Marco. They say if he isn't released within five minutes, they're going to burn the carriage house to the ground."
Sienna let out a sharp gasp, her hand flying to her mouth.
Dante didn't flinch. He didn't rush. He simply reached into his jacket, pulled out his Sig Sauer, and checked the magazine one more time with a calm, methodical click.
"Mrs. Doyle," Dante said, his voice dropping into that quiet, deadly register that terrified everyone in the syndicate. "Take Sienna down to the reinforced safe room beneath the west wing. Lock the door from the inside and do not open it for anyone until I unlock it myself."
"Mr. Marchetti, surely the police—"
"Do as I fucking say," Dante snarled, the mask of polite detachment slipping for a single, terrifying second.
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Mrs. Doyle paled, grabbed Sienna by the arm, and pulled her toward the private service stairs at the back of the study. "Come along, child. Now!"
Sienna allowed herself to be pulled away, but as she reached the door, she looked back over her shoulder. Dante was walking toward the grand double doors of the study, his shoulders squared, his dark coat billowing slightly behind him like the wings of a descending raven. He looked entirely alone, yet somehow more powerful than an entire army.
