Chapter 6 - Wake the King
For the next twelve hours, the quiet hunting lodge turned into a war room.
While Dante rested to regain his physical strength, Maeve worked on Argos. Using advanced specialized salves from her kit, she dressed his chemical burns, administered pain relief, and cleared the dead tissue around his eyes.
Though the dog would never regain his vision, his spirit had completely transformed. He knew he was surrounded by those who loved him. His ears were perked, his tail thumped rhythmically against the floor whenever Maeve walked past, and his heightened senses of smell and hearing were razor-sharp.
Dante watched her work from the dining table, where he was reviewing tactical blueprints of his Haverford estate with Geno and Marco.
“You handle him better than any trainer I ever hired,” Dante remarked softly, watching Maeve gently apply ointment to Argos’s muzzle.
“Animals know who they can trust,” Maeve said without looking up. “They don't care about money, titles, or power. They respond to energy.”
Dante smiled—a genuine, rare smile that completely transformed his harsh, rugged face, softening the lines around his dark eyes.
“And what does your energy say about me, Maeve?” he asked quietly.
Maeve paused, her fingers resting on Argos’s neck. She looked up at Dante across the room.
“It says you’re a man who broke every rule in your world to kneel beside a dying dog on a metal table,” she replied honestly. “It says you’re dangerous... but you’re not a monster.”
Dante’s gaze held hers for a long, heavy moment, filled with an unspoken intensity that made the small room feel suddenly warm.
“Tonight,” Dante said, breaking the spell as he turned back to the blueprints, “Julian has invited forty capos and syndicate leaders to my estate. He has hired twenty external mercenaries from the New York families to secure the perimeter.”
“The house is a fortress,” Geno pointed out. “Bulletproof glass, infrared cameras, motion sensors on the lawn. How do we breach it with four people?”
“We don't breach it with guns,” Dante said smoothly. “We breach it from the inside.”
He looked at Maeve.
“Julian’s mercenaries don't know the house,” Dante explained. “They rely entirely on the digital security grid in the basement. The main power grid for the estate runs through an underground junction box near the old stables—a quarter mile from the main house.”
“If we cut the power,” Marco realized, “the backup generators take ninety seconds to kick in.”
“Ninety seconds in absolute darkness,” Dante grinned—a cold, predatory smile. “To men who don't know the layout, ninety seconds is an eternity. But to someone who has lived in that house for thirty years...”
Dante looked down at Argos.
“...and to a dog who has been blind for a year... ninety seconds is all we need.”
Maeve stood up, her heart hammering against her ribs. “You’re taking Argos?”
“He belongs at my side,” Dante said firmly. “And Julian needs to see the beast he tried to destroy.”
Maeve stepped forward, setting her medical supplies down. “Then I’m coming too.”
Dante frowned, stepping toward her. “No, Maeve. Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous. I won't put you in the crossfire again.”
“You still need medical monitoring,” Maeve insisted, standing her ground, lifting her chin with stubborn defiance. “Your cardiac muscle is still recovering from organophosphate toxicity. If your blood pressure spikes during a gunfight, you could suffer a fatal arrhythmia. You need someone who knows how to administer atropine instantly.”
She stepped right into his personal space, looking up into his dark eyes without a trace of fear.
“And besides,” Maeve added softly, “Argos listens to my verbal commands now better than yours. You need me, Dante Caruso.”
Dante stared down at her—at this fierce, brilliant, beautiful woman who had crashed into his violent life thirty-six hours ago and refused to back down.
He reached out, his large, warm hand cupping the back of her neck, pulling her just an inch closer.
May you like
“If anything happens to you tonight, Maeve,” Dante whispered, his voice laced with raw, fierce emotion, “I will burn this whole city to the ground.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me,” Maeve whispered back. “Let’s go wake the king.”
