The cathedral doors slammed open three seconds before Arthur Romano was supposed to say, “I do.” Every head turned. The string quartet died in the middle of a note. Rain blew through the doorway in a silver sheet, carrying the cold September wind across polished marble and beneath rows of thousand-dollar dresses.

When Arthur returned to the Oak Brook estate three hours later, he was ready to storm the property. Leo had called him the moment Vivien left, and Arthur had broken three traffic laws speeding back from downtown Chicago, terrifying his motorcade.

He burst through the front doors, tossing his damp coat to a guard, and strode into the library where Chloe was sitting by the fire, reading a book.

"Chloe!" Arthur barked, his face dark with fury and residual panic. "Are you out of your mind?! Why did you let Vivien Croft inside this house?!"

Chloe didn't flinch. She simply closed her book, picked up the manila envelope from the coffee table, and held it out to him.

"Calm down, Arthur," she said smoothly. "She didn't come to hurt me. She came to give us this."

Arthur frowned, stepping over to take the envelope. "What is it?"

"Malcolm Croft’s private ledger," Chloe said. "Vivien stole it before your men seized her family’s townhouse. Inside are the names of four city officials and two of your own captains who were taking Croft money to betray you."

Arthur’s fury instantly cooled, replaced by a sharp, dangerous focus. He unsealed the envelope and pulled out the leather-bound ledger, skimming through handwritten lists of dates, bank account numbers, and covert meeting locations.

His eyes stopped on two names: Captain Anthony Vane and Captain Marco Ricci.

Both men were senior leaders in the Romano organization. Both men had sat at Arthur’s table for five years, eating his food, taking his money, and swearing loyalty to his family.

"They were feeding Malcolm information about my shipping routes," Arthur muttered, his voice dropping an octave into a cold, lethal register. "Vane was the one who told Malcolm about your diner seven weeks ago."

Chloe watched his face, seeing the dark, terrifying mob boss reemerge behind his dark eyes. "What are you going to do?"

Arthur looked at her, his expression softening as he realized he was showing his brutal side in front of his pregnant fiancee. He knelt beside her chair, taking her hand gently.

"I am going to protect our family, Chloe," Arthur said quietly. "Traitorous men cannot be allowed to exist in my world. If I let Anthony Vane and Marco Ricci go unpunished, every lieutenant in Chicago will think the Romano family is weak. They will think they can target you, or our child, without consequences."

Chloe looked at his broad, strong hand holding hers. She was a simple girl from a working-class neighborhood. She hated violence, she hated guns, and she hated the dark reality of Arthur’s world. But she also knew that Arthur was a lion guarding his den. He was doing what was necessary to ensure that their child grew up in a world free of hidden knives.

"Do what you have to do, Arthur," Chloe whispered, leaning down to press a soft kiss against his forehead. "Just come back to me in one piece."

Arthur stood up, pulling his encrypted satellite phone from his pocket as he walked toward the library doors. "Leo! Assemble the primary security team. We’re holding an emergency captain’s meeting at the docks in one hour."

By midnight, the harbor at the edge of Lake Michigan was shrouded in thick fog.

Inside a massive, private shipping warehouse owned by the Romano family, Captain Anthony Vane and Captain Marco Ricci were sitting at a wooden table, sipping espresso, expecting a routine briefing on new shipping routes.

The heavy steel doors slammed shut.

Arthur Romano walked out of the shadows, flanked by Leo Barnes and twenty heavily armed guards.

Arthur threw the ledger onto the wooden table between the two captains.

Anthony Vane looked at the ledger, then up at Arthur’s stone-cold face. His hand twitched toward his coat pocket.

Before his fingers could even reach his holster, Leo Barnes stepped forward, pointing a suppressed pistol directly at Vane’s forehead.

"Don't do it, Anthony," Leo said coldly.

Marco Ricci went pale, raising his hands in immediate surrender. "Arthur! Please! It’s not what it looks like! Malcolm Croft forced us! He threatened our families!"

"Malcolm Croft is currently sitting in a federal holding cell, Marco," Arthur said, leaning over the table, staring down at the two traitors. "And his daughter gave me this ledger three hours ago."

Vane swallowed hard, his face draining of color. "Arthur... we’ve served the Romano family for fifteen years! You can't just kill us!"

"You sold the address of my pregnant wife to Malcolm Croft," Arthur said, his voice flat, devoid of any human emotion. "You gave him the weapons to attempt a hit on my life at a holy altar. You didn't just betray me, Anthony. You betrayed the future of this family."

Arthur turned his back on them, walking toward the exit of the warehouse.

"Leo," Arthur said softly as he pushed the heavy door open. "Clean house. I want their crews reassigned by morning."

"Consider it done, Boss," Leo replied.