The morning sun felt like a lie. Dante was still sleeping, his face pale against the black silk pillows. Leo stood by the window, watching the armored SUVs patrol the grounds. The mansion was supposed to be the safest place in France, yet someone had put a bullet in the Boss.
Leo looked at the tray of bloody medical supplies. He thought about the way Dante had held his hand during the night. It wasn't the grip of a monster; it was the grip of a man who was terrified of being alone.
A soft knock came at the door. One of Dante's top soldiers, a man named Enzo, stepped inside. Enzo looked at the sleeping Boss and then at Leo. His eyes were suspicious. He walked over to the bed, checking the bandages Leo had applied.
Enzo didn't say much. He just nodded at the work. But as he turned to leave, he dropped a small, electronic device on the table. It was a burner phone. He gave Leo a look that meant don't tell Dante, then he vanished back into the hallway.
Leo picked up the phone. His heart hammered against his ribs. There was one message on the screen from an unknown number. It said that the hit on Dante was just the beginning. It said that if Leo wanted his sister to be truly free, he needed to leave the bedroom door unlocked at midnight.
Leo looked at Dante. The man was helpless now. If Leo did nothing, the debt would be gone. His life would go back to normal. He would be a surgeon in a clean hospital again, not a prisoner in a house of blood. But he looked at the neat stitches on Dante's side—his own work—and realized he didn't want to see them torn apart by another bullet.