POV: ANTONIO
(8:45 PM) - ROME
Antonio Valentino was in his private office when the phone rang.
He was reviewing intelligence reports from New York, drinking a glass of aged wine, contemplating the fallout from the day's events. Dimitri had handled Dante Romano exactly as Antonio had expected....with precision, with power, with the kind of tactical brilliance that made Antonio simultaneously proud of his son and deeply concerned about his future.
The phone rang.
Antonio glanced at the caller ID.
Lorenzo Russo.
He set down his wine glass and answered.
"Lorenzo," Antonio said, his tone neutral, professional. "This is unexpected."
"Don't give me that," Lorenzo's voice came through the phone, tight with anger. "I heard that Dimitri is holding my daughter captive again."
The words hung in the air.
Antonio didn't respond immediately. He let the silence stretch, let Lorenzo feel the weight of what he'd just said.
