2025-03-31 01:48:42The estate’s grand hall was filled with echoes of clinking glasses and laughter, as the night was fast approaching. Inside, women adorned in diamonds whispered secrets behind painted lips, while the men bartered over power with fine wine. Wealth, blood, and control were the foundations of this world.
Everything was different,as the dim light shone over the balcony. Elena's gown was shimmering under the soft glow of the garden lights as she stood before Dino.Her voice remained steady as her chest rose and fell with quiet fury. "I need your help." Dino, expecting this, had seen the desperation in her eyes back in the hall, with her hands trembling against her dress when she realized the truth. Before she could speak, she had already been sold. Tightening his jaw "It's not as easy as you think. Elena chuckled. “It has never been, has it?” Dino's gaze shifted past her, beyond the balcony, where the city stretched in the distance. Out there, people lived free. He always dreamt about that kind of life. Before they made him what he is not. He turned back to her. “ There is no escaping from them; they will always find you." Elena clenches her fists. “Then what? I just can't accept this kind of life.” I didn’t say that he exhaled, rubbing his palms. Her sharp eyes caught the flicker of something in his expression.Its not a refusal but hesitation. Stepping closer she said. “I don't want this anymore for me just as you don't want it either.” He should send her back inside before Alejandro notices she is gone.He shouldn't be entertaining her outside right now.Dino sighs. But he couldn’t. She was right that all his instincts all over his body kept telling him. He has surely been waiting for a moment like this. That he had been waiting for her. —-- The pressure of the night fell heavier on him as he acknowledged the weight he carried on his mind over the years. Dino, feeling restless, ran a hand over the back of his head. “I have always dreamt of getting out”He finally admitted with a quiet tone Elena frowned. “Getting out?” He let out a soft chuckle “yes before all this I had always dreamt of being someone else - doing something different.” Elena slightly tilts her head waiting. It has been years he spoke about this.Dino drums his finger against the rails of the balcony. He finally said, “I was an actor.” Elena smiled cheerfully, with a bit of surprise flickering across her face. “You?” He smirked. “Yeah. It's shocking,right?.” She shook her head in realization but not in disbelief.“No... it makes sense.” Dino was surprised. “How so?” She crossed her arms, “You truly hide things well. I saw you stay silent in a room full of men, while you read them like a script, making them feel they are in control .You have been performing all this while” Dino’s smirk faded. Elena saw too much. She always had. He admitted with a softer tone “ I was good at what I did”. “The stage gave me freedom. I could be anyone, anywhere. I could escape.” He exhaled. “But then Sanchez had a different plan for me. He told me I had a different role to play.” Elena didn’t care to know what role that was. She saw it for herself. The enforcer. The protector. The shadow living in Alejandro’s wake. She stepped closer to him, her voice gentle. “Do you miss it?” Dino met her gaze, his answer slipped through his walls for the first time in years he harboured this truth. “Yes.” The answer brought a weighty and unspoken confession between them. Elena whispered after studying him for a long time “Then why are you still here?” Dino swallowed, the words striked deeper and sharper than a sword. Because leaving wasn't an easy option. Because second chances are not meant for men like him. Because— A slow clap interrupted them. They both turned sharply. Alejandro with a glass still in hand, standing at the doorway watching them with amusement. “Well, isn’t this interesting?” Dino straightened his posture with his face smoothing into calm indifference. Elena didn't bulge. Alejandro stepped into the night air, took a sip of whiskey “You know, I am always suspicious of you two,” he mused. “The way you look at each other. The way keeps you hovering around her like a knight.” “But I suppose it makes sense. Our dear Dino is quite the actor,can you beat that.”His gaze flickering between both of them. Elena tensed beside him. Dino didn’t flinch. He wouldn’t give Alejandro the satisfaction. Alejandro’s smirk widened. “You belong to Hollywood, hermano. But , you rather chose to play the role of a dog.” He took another sip, eyes gleaming with malice. “So watch as I take everything.” Dino swiftly moved before Alejandro could blink. He gripped Alejandro’s wrist with bone-crushing force. Alejandro winced, surprised. “Take it easy, Dino,” he warned. But there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. Dino stepped closer, his voice dangerously low. “You’re mistaken about one thing, Alejandro.” Alejandro tried to yank his arm away, but Dino only tightened his grip. “You will never have her.” Silence. Then, slowly, Dino let go, shoving Alejandro back. Alejandro's amusement was gone as his face darkened. Adjusting his cuff.”this isn't over” he said coldly. Elena finally spoke. “No, it isn’t.” Alejandro walked back inside hastingly without another word. Elena let out a slow breath. Staring at his hands Dino saw they were still shaking. Something indeed had changed. Tonight, Dino had drawn a line.Alejandro had always been in control while Sanchez dictated the pace of his life. He looked at Elena. In a quiet voice he said, “If we do this there’s no turning back.” Elena looked at him confidently . “This cage was never meant for me.” Nodding.Dino exhaled slowly.The decision had been made. Still not tonight. Not yet. But the moment would definitely come. He would be ready when it comes.
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After Alejandro left, there was tension lingering in the balcony.There was no going back to pretending as Elena stood frozen and her pulse hammering in her ears.Dino stared at his hands, fingers curled into a fist, as if he could still feel the weight of that moment. The same hands that gripped Alejandro a while ago.He exhaled finally. “We aren't doing anything reckless tonight.”Elena flinched. “You think I don’t know that?” “I think you’re angry. And anger makes people careless.” As his dark eyes met hers.Elena let out a bitter laugh. “Maybe I want to be careless.”Dino, lowering his voice, stepped closer. “No. I Want to be free. And those aren’t the same thing.”Elena caught her breath.She should have argued.But he was right.Her fury at Alejandro, at Sanchez, at her father—the thoughts burned in her chest like a wildfire. But wildfires aren't planned. They just destroy, with no strategies.Dino wasn’t going to let her self-destruct as he saw it in her.He glanced back towar
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There was a distant hum of music fading from the ballroom, drowning beneath the pounding of Elena’s heart. Alejandro’s grip on her wrist was possessive with a silent declaration of control. Guests whispered around them, their glances shifting between the two. Some watched with amusement and discomfort.But none of them would dare intervene.“I see you were distracted,” Alejandro said, tilting his head as he murmured. His voice was soft and teasing, but Elena knew better. There was calculation with no warmth in his words. “Thinking about him?”Elena kept her expression blank as her stomach twisted. She didn't want him to see the effect he had on her.“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, with an even tone.Alejandro's thumb brushing over her palm with a smirk on his face. The touch was a mockery of affection but gentle. “I felt your hesitation and your mind somewhere else as I held you.” He whispered.She forced herself to meet his gaze as she tightened her chest. “You’re drunk.”He smiled.
Burn Loot Chapter 8
The ballroom felt like a prison for Elena despite the glittering chandelier. Every clink of a champagne glass, every polite smile, just tightened the invisible chains she felt placed on her by Alejandro. She had tried to escape his grip, as his fingers rested boldly and possessively on the small of her back, knowing fully he would never let her go easily.With a silky and firm voice. “You’re tense. Elena. Relax.” Alejandro spoke.She forced a smile. The feel of his palm against her spine made her skin crawl. She wanted to shove him away and scream that she would never be his. But with his men blended in the crowd, she was surrounded as they were watching her every move.Her eyes darted across the room, searching for an exit. She needs to leave now, because this might be her only chance.At that moment, her gaze met Capello’s, her father. He stood by the bar, watching her with guilt in his eyes and a drink in his hand. He knows. Something twisted inside her.He knows what Aleja
Burn Loot Chapter 9
Wealth and power radiated in every corner of Sanchez’s grand hall, but to Elena, it felt like a gilded prison.Alejandro hosts another extravagant party, a well calculated display of his control over her fate. Her father,Capello,lingered near the bar, silent reminder of his betrayal looms as he avoids her gaze.Alejandro was already behind Elena who tried to disappear into the crowd. “Enjoying the night?”His voice, smooth yet laced with menace, sent a chill through her. She turned away, but his grip tightened around her wrist. “Don’t walk away from me.”“I don’t belong to you.” She yanked free, her pulse pounding.His eyes darkened. “You will. Accept it, or I’ll make you.”Before she could react, she spotted Dino.Dino’s Silent FuryDino stood at the edge of the room, his presence commanding even in the shadows. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes burned with quiet rage as he locked onto Alejandro.Alejandro hesitated, loosening his grip. Even he feared Dino.Dino’s voice w
Burn Loot Chapter 10
Dino led Elena through a maze of dimly lit backstreets, his movements swift and sure. He had spent years navigating the city’s underbelly, and now, that knowledge was keeping them alive. The night air was thick with tension, every sound amplified as if the city itself was holding its breath.After what felt like an eternity, they reached a rundown garage on the outskirts of town. The metal shutters were rusted, the paint peeling from years of neglect. To anyone else, it looked abandoned—but for Dino, it was a safehouse he had set up months ago, anticipating a day like this.Once inside, Elena collapsed onto an old, threadbare couch. Her body trembled, her breaths shallow. Dino knelt in front of her, scanning her face.“Did he hurt you?”She shook her head, but tears burned her eyes. “He almost caught me.”Dino exhaled slowly, his hands clenching into fists. The thought of Alejandro touching her, caging her like a possession, made his blood boil.“He won’t get another chance,” he promi
Burn Loot Chapter 11
Dino tightened his fists, his breath steady as he crouched behind an overturned car. The night air smelled of gasoline and sweat.They had been cornered by Alejandro's men in an abandoned warehouse near the port. Five men armed to the teeth. They weren’t leaving anything to chance this time.“Elena, stay low,” Dino whispered.Her pulse pounding in her ears. Elena nodded. The warehouse had become a battlefield.A shot rang out, sparking off the metal near Dino’s head.He moved.He rolled forward in a blur, grabbed a rusted metal pipe, and struck one of the gunmen across the jaw. The man crumpled before he could even react.The others turned.Another shot. Dino twisted.He didn’t stop despite feeling a burning pain across his upper arm as a bullet grazed him. He lunged at the next man, slamming his knee into his gut, then cracking his elbow against his skull.Two down. Three to go.Dino ducked as a thug charged, swinging a crowbar, grabbed the man’s wrist, and yanked. The crowbar clatte
Burn Loot Chapter 12
There was an echo of gunshots through the burning warehouse.Dino’s heart slammed against his ribs.Elena gasped, clutching her side. But no blood.Instead, one of Alejandro’s men had a bullet hole bloomed in his chest, staggered, eyes wide in shock. Then he collapsed.Dino’s gaze snapped to the entrance.A dark silhouette stood there. Sergio.Gun still raised, smoke curling from the barrel.“Elena, run!” Dino shouted.Alejandro snarled, firing twice.Dino lunged, shoving Elena out of the way. He felt the heat of the bullets whip past his ear. Too close.No time to think.The building groaned, about to collapse. As the fire roared louder, licking the ceiling.Alejandro was still blocking the exit; a second was all Dino needed. The timely distraction of Sergio had bought them that.---Dino didn’t hesitate.He launched forward, tackling Alejandro to the ground. Fists flying.Alejandro grunted, twisting beneath him, trying to bring the gun up.Dino slammed his elbow down hard.Alejandro
Burn Loot Chapter 13
Across the dimly lit room, Capello’s expression remained unreadable; he wasn't hurt because he was putting on a bulletproof earlier, but Elena—her face was a storm of emotions.She clenched her fists. “He’s toying with us.”Dino nodded. “But he slipped up. He wants me to stop digging, which means there’s more to uncover.”Capello exhaled heavily and sat down, rubbing a hand down his face. “You’re walking into dangerous waters, Dino.”Dino stepped forward, his voice firm. “I need the truth. No more half-answers.”Capello locked eyes with him. “The truth is, your mother knew too much. She wasn’t just paying Sanchez to keep you alive—she had something on him. Something big enough that he needed her gone.”Elena sucked in a breath. “And you knew?”Capello hesitated before nodding. “I suspected. But by the time I started asking questions, she was already dead.”Dino’s fists clenched. His mother hadn’t just been murdered. She had been silenced.Sergio walked in just then, holding another fo
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Chapter 20
The dim glow of overhead floodlights cast long shadows as the rows of towering cargo containers stretched endlessly. The arrival of Dino, Elena, and Sergio at the Genoa shipping yard was met with a night air thick with the salty scent of the sea.Dino’s grip on his gun was firm, his mind razor-sharp. His mother was here. Somewhere. And Sanchez knew he was coming.Elena adjusted her earpiece. “Security’s light, but that’s not a good sign.”Sergio scanned the perimeter with binoculars. “Yeah. Too easy.”Dino’s jaw tightened. This was a trap. But it didn’t matter.“We go in,” he said. “Fast and quiet.”Inside the ShadowsThey moved between containers like ghosts, their footsteps silent on the cold pavement.Sergio pointed. “That warehouse. The one with the guards.”Dino nodded. It made sense. If his mother were here, they’d keep her close.Two men stood at the entrance, armed but relaxed.Amateurs.Dino signaled. Elena slipped behind the first guard, wrapping an arm around his neck. He s
Chapter 19
Dino’s fingers drummed restlessly against the steering wheel as they sped through the dimly lit streets of Genoa. His mind was still reeling from Marco’s revelation.His mother was alive.The thought was impossible to ignore. He had grown up believing she was dead—another casualty of Sanchez’s cruelty. And yet, Marco had smirked as he spoke, as if taunting him with the truth.Elena, seated beside him, cast a worried glance his way. “Dino… Are you okay?”He didn’t answer.Sergio sighed from the backseat. “Dino, we need a plan. If Sanchez has been keeping your mother hidden all these years, she could be anywhere.”Dino exhaled sharply. There was one place to start.“Sanchez has a safe house outside the city. It was never on his official properties list, but I remember hearing about it when I was a kid. My mother used to go there… before she disappeared.”Sergio’s eyebrows raised. “You think she might be there?”“I think it’s the only lead we’ve got.”Elena squeezed his arm. “Then let’s
Chapter 18
The night air was thick with tension as Dino pressed down on the gas, weaving through the darkened streets of Genoa. They had to reach the docks before Sanchez’s men did.Elena sat beside him, her fingers tapping anxiously against her knee. Sergio, in the backseat, checked his gun. “If Sanchez is already moving, we don’t have much time.”Dino’s jaw clenched. “Then we move faster.”They pulled into the docks, headlights cutting through the fog. The container yard stretched before them, steel towers of crates stacked like a labyrinth. Somewhere in the shadows, Sanchez’s men were waiting.Dino cut the engine. “We get in, grab the locker, and get out.”Elena nodded. “Fast and quiet.”Sergio smirked, checking his pistol. “Fast, maybe. Quiet? We’ll see.”Moving swiftly, they crept between the shipping containers, the scent of salt and rust thick in the air. Somewhere in this yard was the evidence Elena’s mother had hidden—proof of Sanchez’s empire.A distant clang echoed. They weren’t alone
Chapter 17
The tension in the air was thick. The moment Capello’s message came through, Dino knew this wasn’t just a meeting—it was a trap.Elena sat stiffly in the passenger seat, her fingers curled into fists. Her father had betrayed her mother. He had watched as Sanchez silenced her, and now he wanted to see Elena.Dino’s grip tightened around the wheel. “We’re not going.”Elena turned to him, her voice steady but laced with pain. “I have to.”“No, you don’t.” Dino’s jaw clenched. “Capello’s been playing both sides for years. We show up, and we’re dead.”Sergio, seated in the back, exhaled. “Dino’s right. We need to get to that locker first. Your mother risked everything to hide that evidence.”Elena’s eyes burned. “You think I don’t know that? But if I don’t go, he’ll send people after us.” She looked at Dino. “This is my father. I need to look him in the eye and see if there’s any part of him worth saving.”Dino shook his head. Capello had already proven who he was.But Elena had made up he
Chapter 16
The first gunshot shattered the night.Dino lunged, pulling Elena to the ground as the window exploded in a rain of glass. Sergio flipped the table for cover, gun already in hand.More gunfire. Tires screeched outside. Shadows moved beyond the broken window. Sanchez’s men had found them.Dino grabbed a pistol from the floor, eyes flashing to Sergio. “We hold them off. Get Enzo out!”Enzo, still weak from his wound, tried to move, but Elena was already at his side, gripping his arm. “We need to go now.”Another shot ripped through the air, just missing Sergio’s head. He fired back, hitting one of the gunmen.Dino turned toward Elena. “Go! I’ll cover you!”Elena hesitated, eyes locked onto his. But then she nodded, gripping Enzo tighter as she ducked low and moved toward the back exit.Sergio provided cover fire, taking down another attacker. Dino grabbed a second gun from the fallen man, his mind clear, body moving on instinct.One shot. Two. A swift kick to disarm another enemy.But t
Chapter 15
The night air carried the acrid scent of gunpowder as gunmen closed in from the trees.Bullets ripped through the wooden walls of the cabin, shattering glass and sending splinters flying.Dino pressed Elena against the floor, shielding her as Sergio fired back. “We’re sitting ducks here!” Sergio growled.Enzo Moretti, his face pale, clutched his side where a bullet had grazed him. “Sanchez won’t stop! He knows I know too much.”Dino’s jaw clenched. “We move. Now!”A Fight in the DarkSergio lobbed a smoke grenade through the broken window. As thick gray fog consumed the cabin, Dino pulled Elena up and guided her toward the back door.Enzo struggled to keep up, his breath ragged.A gunman appeared in the clearing—Dino took him down with a swift elbow to the throat, twisting his gun away before knocking him unconscious. Another came from behind. Dino spun, delivering a brutal side kick to his ribs, then a finishing blow to the temple.Elena grabbed a discarded pistol, her hands steady a
Chapter 14
Dino sat in the dimly lit safehouse, his fingers tapping against the armrest of his chair. The name Enzo Moretti echoed in his mind. A ghost from the past—one he had never heard of, yet somehow tied to his mother’s fate.Elena paced in front of him, arms crossed. “I ran the name through our databases. No public records, no social security number. It’s like he never existed.”Sergio leaned against the wall, arms folded. “Which means he’s either dead… or very good at hiding.”Dino exhaled sharply. “Then we make him come to us.”Elena frowned. “How?”Dino’s eyes darkened. “By rattling Sanchez’s cage.”A Baited TrapHours later, Dino and Sergio sat inside an unmarked black SUV parked across from one of Sanchez’s lesser-known clubs—a hub for his illegal migration business.Sergio adjusted his earpiece. “Are you sure about this?”Dino’s gaze remained fixed on the club entrance. “We go in, make some noise, and force Sanchez to react. If Moretti is connected, he’ll show up.”Sergio grinned. “
Chapter 13
Across the dimly lit room, Capello’s expression remained unreadable; he wasn't hurt because he was putting on a bulletproof earlier, but Elena—her face was a storm of emotions.She clenched her fists. “He’s toying with us.”Dino nodded. “But he slipped up. He wants me to stop digging, which means there’s more to uncover.”Capello exhaled heavily and sat down, rubbing a hand down his face. “You’re walking into dangerous waters, Dino.”Dino stepped forward, his voice firm. “I need the truth. No more half-answers.”Capello locked eyes with him. “The truth is, your mother knew too much. She wasn’t just paying Sanchez to keep you alive—she had something on him. Something big enough that he needed her gone.”Elena sucked in a breath. “And you knew?”Capello hesitated before nodding. “I suspected. But by the time I started asking questions, she was already dead.”Dino’s fists clenched. His mother hadn’t just been murdered. She had been silenced.Sergio walked in just then, holding another fo
Chapter 12
There was an echo of gunshots through the burning warehouse.Dino’s heart slammed against his ribs.Elena gasped, clutching her side. But no blood.Instead, one of Alejandro’s men had a bullet hole bloomed in his chest, staggered, eyes wide in shock. Then he collapsed.Dino’s gaze snapped to the entrance.A dark silhouette stood there. Sergio.Gun still raised, smoke curling from the barrel.“Elena, run!” Dino shouted.Alejandro snarled, firing twice.Dino lunged, shoving Elena out of the way. He felt the heat of the bullets whip past his ear. Too close.No time to think.The building groaned, about to collapse. As the fire roared louder, licking the ceiling.Alejandro was still blocking the exit; a second was all Dino needed. The timely distraction of Sergio had bought them that.---Dino didn’t hesitate.He launched forward, tackling Alejandro to the ground. Fists flying.Alejandro grunted, twisting beneath him, trying to bring the gun up.Dino slammed his elbow down hard.Alejandro