Chapter 8 - Crossing the Line
Within fifteen minutes of Nora’s panicked phone call, the screech of tires echoed outside the bakery as two black town cars pulled up to the curb. Tony Mancini and four elite enforcers leaped out into the rain, rushing through the front door with weapons drawn. When they saw the shattered biscotti jar, the spilled water, and Nora holding a shaking Leo, Tony’s face turned the color of ash. “Did they touch you?” Tony demanded, his dark eyes sweeping the room for lingering threats. “No... they broke a jar and threatened to burn the shop down next Tuesday unless we paid a tax to Carmine,” Nora stammered, her voice shaking with adrenaline. She held Leo tight, refusing to let go. Tony pulled out his encrypted phone, dialing Dominic’s private line immediately. “Boss. It’s Tony. Carmine’s men hit the bakery in Queens. Frankie and two thugs. They threatened Nora and the boy.” On the other end of the line, in his Park Avenue study, Dominic Russo went completely still. The silence stretched for three agonizing seconds—a silence so heavy that Tony could hear the faint ticking of a clock in the background. When Dominic finally spoke, his voice was no longer conversational; it was the chilling, absolute roar of a caged predator whose family had just been threatened. “Burned down?” Dominic asked softly. “They threatened to burn it down, Boss,” Tony confirmed. “Gather every loyal man we have left in the five boroughs,” Dominic commanded, his voice vibrating with lethal fury. “Carmine just crossed a line he can never walk back across. Tonight, we take back our city.” Within the hour, Dominic arrived at the bakery in his armored town car. He rolled inside, his eyes taking in the shattered glass and Nora’s pale, strained face. He wheeled straight up to her, his expression carved from stone. “Nora, I am so sorry,” Dominic said, his voice thick with raw emotion. “This is my fault. I brought my war to your doorstep.” Nora looked down at him, wiping a tear from her cheek, her fear replaced by a fierce, unyielding resolve. “Don't apologize, Dominic. Just finish it.” Dominic nodded slowly. He reached out, placing his warm hand over hers. “Pack a bag for you and Leo. You’re coming home with me. My penthouse is the safest place on earth, and by tomorrow morning, Carmine Russo won't have an empire left to threaten anyone with ever again.”
