1The silver bell struck the edge of the breakfast tray hard enough to make every crystal glass in the room seem to tremble.

Claire didn't lower her guard.

“You knew Dominic was a traitor?” she asked, keeping her eyes fixed on his gun hand.

“Dominic is a greedy man,” Adrian said coldly, lowering his pistol slightly, though his posture remained lethal. “He thinks he’s clever. He took fifty thousand dollars from Julian Vance three weeks ago to open a blind spot in my docks. I’ve been letting him think I’m blind so I could pull the entire Falcone cell into the open.”

He looked down at the leather-bound book in her hand.

“And you... you came for the ledger.”

“I came for justice,” Claire corrected sharply. “Five years ago, your family blew up my car. You killed my partner, Marcus Cole. You ruined my life.”

Adrian’s eyes darkened with a shadow of real pain—a rare look on a mafia kingpin’s face.

“I didn't order that strike, Clara,” Adrian said, his voice dropping into a raspy whisper. “My uncle ran the family five years ago. He was a bloodthirsty animal who executed anyone who crossed his path. When I took over the organization three years ago, I eliminated the men who ordered that bombing.”

“That doesn't make you innocent,” Claire spat, her fingers digging into the leather cover of the ledger. “You run the same empire.”

“I run a business,” Adrian countered smoothly, taking another step forward until he was standing just three feet away from her. “And right now, that business is about to be invaded by twenty armed Falcone mercs who are going to slaughter everyone in this house—including the innocent staff you’re so fond of protecting.”

Claire paused.

She looked into Adrian’s dark eyes. There was no deceit there. Only a cold, hard tactical reality.

“They’re coming in by the lower docks at midnight,” Claire said.

Adrian nodded once. “I know. They think Dominic turned off the perimeter grid. But I rewired the grid two hours ago. They’re walking into a killing zone.”

“Dominic isn't waiting for the docks,” Claire warned, her federal training instantly kicking in. “I overheard them in the garden. Dominic has three men inside the house right now. They’re targeting the east wing guest quarters first to create panic.”

Adrian’s eyes widened slightly. “The guest quarters... Vanessa.”

Before Adrian could react, a sudden, loud shattered glass sound echoed from the floor below, followed immediately by the sharp, terrifying crack of automatic gunfire.

The raid had begun early.

The lights in the entire mansion instantly went black, plunging the study into pitch darkness.

In the dark, Adrian’s voice was instantaneous and sharp. “Down!”

Claire didn't hesitate. She dropped low to the floor just as a burst of automatic submachine-gun fire tore through the study’s heavy double doors, shredding the wood and sending splinters flying through the air like lethal shrapnel.

Adrian fired three controlled shots through the dark doorway.

A heavy body collapsed into the hallway with a choked scream.

Claire pulled her suppressed pistol from her harness, rolling behind the solid oak desk beside Adrian.

The quiet, meek maid was gone.

The federal agent was back.

“We have four hostiles on the second floor landing!” Claire called out over the sound of screaming guests echoing from the east wing.

Adrian looked at her through the shadows, a dark, dangerous smile touching his lips despite the chaos.

“Nice to have a real professional in the house, Agent Vance,” Adrian growled, racking the slide of his pistol.