The dog had killed a man. Everyone on the Castellano estate knew that. So when one hundred and twenty pounds of scarred black pitbull stepped out of the basement shadows,

The fallout from the attack on the estate was swift and brutal. Within twenty-four hours, Dante’s forces had completely dismantled Marcus Vance’s secondary hideouts across the city. The war had reached a boiling point, and the entire Baltimore underworld was holding its breath.

To ensure her absolute safety, Dante relocated Rosie, Leo, and Titan to his private, heavily fortified penthouse in the heart of downtown Baltimore.

The penthouse was a glass fortress overlooking the harbor, guarded by forty elite men. But inside, it felt like an intimate sanctuary.

It was midnight. Leo was fast asleep in one of the guest suites. Rosie sat on the massive leather sofa in the living room, wrapping clean bandage strips around Titan's hip. The dog was resting his heavy head peacefully on her lap.

Dante walked into the room carrying two glasses of dark amber whiskey. He set one down on the coffee table in front of her and sat down on the other end of the sofa.

"You should be sleeping," Dante said softly.

"I can't," Rosie admitted, looking out at the city lights reflecting off the dark water. "Every time I close my eyes, I hear the gunshots."

Dante reached over and gently covered her hand with his own. His touch was warm, solid, and grounding. "The man who came for you... he won't ever hurt anyone again. Neither will Vance."

Rosie turned her good ear toward him, looking deeply into his dark eyes. "Why did Vance come for me, Dante? I'm just a laundry worker. Why would he risk coming into your home for someone like me?"

Dante was silent for a long moment. He leaned back, taking a slow sip of his drink.

"Because Vance knows how I operate," Dante said, his voice dropping into a low, quiet confession. "For ten years, I have lived without weakness. I have no family, no wife, no vulnerabilities that my enemies could use against me. That's how I survived."

He set his glass down and moved closer to her, his intense eyes holding hers captive.

"And then I walked into my basement six weeks ago," Dante continued, reaching up to gently brush a strand of soft hair behind her right ear. "And I saw a girl with hearing loss in one ear standing fearless in front of a killing machine, coaxing him into a sink with warm water and sweet words."

Rosie’s breath hitched. Her heart began to race, not out of fear, but out of a sudden, overwhelming electricity that surged between them.

"Vance saw the way I looked at you that day," Dante whispered, his thumb lightly trailing down her cheekbone. "He realized what I realized the second I saw you."

"What did you realize?" Rosie breathed.

"That you are the only thing in this world I cannot afford to lose," Dante declared fiercely. "You aren't my maid, Rosalind. You are my light."

Rosie felt a wave of emotion crash over her. All her life, she had been overlooked, pushed aside, and discarded by people who deemed her broken or inconvenient. But this dangerous, powerful man looked at her as if she were the most valuable treasure in existence.

"Dante..." she whispered.

Before she could finish his name, Dante leaned down and covered her lips with his own.

The kiss was slow, deep, and filled with a raw, consuming passion that swept through Rosie like wildfire. She melted into his touch, her hands reaching up to weave through his thick dark hair. Titan lifted his head, gave a quiet, satisfied huff, and went back to sleep.

When Dante finally pulled back, his dark eyes were burning with fierce devotion.

"Tomorrow night, the syndicate captains are holding a summit at the Grand Hotel," Dante said, his lips brushing against her forehead. "Vance will be there. He thinks he can force a peace treaty that strips me of my territory."

"Is it a trap?" Rosie asked, worry tightening her chest.

"Of course it is," Dante smiled, a dangerous, beautiful smirk. "Which is why I'm going to walk in there and crush him once and for all. And I want you by my side."