BLOOD AND WHITE ROSES

The standoff was agonizing.

From her hiding spot behind a rusted shipping container, Ivy watched Dante walk into the orange glow of the pier. He looked impossibly tall, an immovable force walking straight into the jaws of death.

"Well, well," Carlo chuckled, stepping out of the office, keeping his gun leveled at Dante’s chest. "The great Dante Russo. Brought down by a soft spot for a florist."

Sofia stepped out behind him, her eyes burning with malice. "Where is the ledger, Dante?"

"Safe," Dante replied smoothly. "Let the girl go, and I’ll tell you."

"That’s not how this works, boy," Carlo sneered. "I taught you better than that."

"You taught me a lot of things, Carlo," Dante said, his voice lowering to a deadly pitch. "You taught me how to shoot. You taught me how to read a room. But you forgot one lesson."

"And what’s that?"

"Never look directly at the sun."

Dante whipped his arm out from behind his back and hurled the flashbang.

BANG.

A blinding, magnesium-white flash erupted on the dock, accompanied by a deafening concussion wave. Carlo and Sofia screamed, dropping to their knees, clutching their eyes.

Dante didn’t waste a millisecond. He lunged forward, kicking the gun out of Carlo’s hand and delivering a brutal strike to the older man’s jaw, knocking him unconscious.

Ivy didn't wait for Dante’s signal. She broke from her cover and sprinted toward the office.

"Lily!" Ivy screamed.

"Auntie Ivy!" the little girl sobbed, running out of the door and launching herself into Ivy’s arms. Ivy fell to her knees, clutching the child so tightly she thought she might break her. She buried her face in Lily’s hair, crying uncontrollably. She was safe.

But the victory was cut brutally short.

A sharp, metallic click echoed behind them.

Ivy froze. She turned her head slowly.

Sofia Falcone had recovered. Her vision was blurry, but her gun was raised, pointed directly at Ivy and Lily.

"How touching," Sofia snarled, blood dripping from a cut on her forehead. "You ruined my wedding, florist. Now I’m going to ruin your life."

Before Sofia could pull the trigger, a shadow eclipsed her.

Dante stepped directly between Sofia’s gun and Ivy’s body. He didn't raise a weapon. He just stood there, an impenetrable human shield protecting the woman and child behind him.

"You want blood, Sofia?" Dante said, his voice eerily calm. "Take mine. Leave them."

Sofia laughed bitterly. "Oh, I’m going to take yours, Dante. But I’m going to make you watch them die first."

She shifted her aim, pointing the gun around Dante, straight at Lily.

Dante lunged.

CRACK.

The gunshot echoed across the water.

Ivy screamed as Dante’s body jerked violently. He stumbled backward, clutching his lower abdomen, crimson blossoming across his white shirt. But he didn't fall. With a feral, terrifying roar, Dante tackled Sofia to the ground, disarming her in one brutal motion. He pinned her down, his hand wrapping around her throat.

Sofia choked, her eyes wide with sudden terror.

Dante pulled his Glock, pressing it against her temple. His breathing was ragged. He was bleeding out.

"Dante, no!" Ivy yelled, covering Lily’s eyes. "Don't! If you kill her, her family will never stop hunting us!"

Dante hesitated. His finger trembled on the trigger. The monster inside him, the ruthless mob boss, wanted to paint the dock with her blood. But he looked back at Ivy. He saw the terror in her eyes, the desperate plea for him to be a man, not a murderer.

Slowly, Dante lowered the gun.

He struck Sofia across the temple with the heavy barrel, knocking her out cold.

Dante stood up, swaying heavily. He looked at Ivy and gave a faint, ghost of a smile.

"Told you... I pay my debts," he whispered.