Chapter 7 - BLOOD AND LOYALTY
Titan moved like a black streak across the concrete floor.
The massive dog launched himself through the air, his jaws locking firmly onto Marco's gun arm. Marco let out a high-pitched scream of agony as the weapon clattered to the ground. The force of the strike threw Marco onto his back against the wet gravel of the loading dock.
"Get this beast off me!" Marco shrieked, flailing wildly as Titan pinned him to the ground, deep growls rumbling like thunder in his chest.
The remaining Moretti gunmen turned their weapons toward Titan, but before they could squeeze their triggers, the heavy front doors of the warehouse were smashed open by a heavy black armored truck.
Dante Castellano stepped out of the vehicle like an avenging shadow. Behind him swept a dozen heavily armed Castellano enforcers.
The firefight was over in seconds. Dante's men neutralized Marco's remaining guards with clinical precision.
Dante sprinted across the warehouse floor, ignoring the lingering smoke and noise, his eyes fixed entirely on Rosie. He grabbed Marco by the collar, yanked him away from Titan's grip, and threw the bleeding rival boss violently against the side of the van.
"Dante! Wait—it was a mistake!" Marco gasped, clutching his torn arm, his face pale with terror. "My father ordered it! It wasn't my idea!"
Dante pulled a dark heavy blade from his belt, his expression colder than ice.
"You stepped into my house," Dante whispered, his voice dangerously low. "You put your hands on my woman. There are no mistakes left for you, Marco."
Dante handed Marco over to his lieutenants with a silent nod that sealed the man's fate. He then turned around instantly, stepping over the debris to reach Rosie.
He pulled her into his arms with a force that took her breath away. His hands checked her face, her shoulders, her wrists, scanning every inch of her for injury.
"Are you hurt? Did he touch you?" Dante demanded, his voice shaking with rare emotion.
"I'm fine," Rosie breathed, pressing her face against his chest, listening to the frantic, rapid beat of his heart. "Titan saved me. He took Marco down."
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Dante looked down at the black pitbull, who was standing beside Rosie, licking the rain off her hand. For the first time since Rosie had met him, Dante’s stern face broke into a genuine, relieved smile. He knelt down on one knee, reaching out to pat Titan’s scarred head with deep respect.
"Good boy," Dante murmured softly to the dog. He then stood up, framing Rosie's face with his large hands. "It's over, Rosalind. Moretti's family is done in this city. Nobody will ever threaten you again."
