Chapter 42: Chapter 42

The lights flickered out just as Mason stepped into the control room, the darkness swallowing Eden whole. Antonio and Mateo were already there, their silhouettes barely visible in the glow of the emergency screens. The CCTV feeds continued uninterrupted, powered by the UPS, displaying the chaos unfolding outside. Mason’s jaw clenched as he waited for the backup generators to kick in. He turned to Benny, who stepped forward.

“They’ve surrounded the building and sealed off all three exits,” Benny said, pointing to the Russians on the feed. His voice was calm, but Mason saw his irritation for the situation. “According to Chief Lynette, the uniforms will stay away until this is over. We’ve got full rein on this.”

Mason’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the monitors, searching for any signs of structural damage. “What caused that tremor?”

Mateo hissed through his teeth. “Those idiots fired a bazooka at the front gate. The first door’s down, but the steel gate held. For now.”

He grunted in response. The Russians were reckless, acting on impulse rather than strategy. They were too impatient, too eager to prove something. It was a mistake he intended to exploit. His gaze shifted to the helipad feed, where Elnora and Marcy were being helped onto the helicopter by Donni. Relief was a foreign concept in his world, but knowing she was close to leaving brought him a semblance of it.

Donni had always been his most trusted lieutenant, a man whose loyalty and ruthlessness were unmatched. Antonio might have held the title of enforcer, but Donni was the real muscle behind the Castelli family, their grim reaper in a tailored suit. Mason had no doubts about entrusting Elnora’s safety to him.

The lights flickered back on, casting harsh shadows across the room. His lieutenants gathered around him, waiting for his orders.

“Don’t go easy on them. I want—” Mason’s words faltered as Elnora’s face appeared on the helipad feed. She was speaking into the camera, her expression worried, while Donni paced in the background, clearly anxious.

“Signoria?” Benny mumbled, his confusion mirroring the collective unease in the room.

“Turn that up!” Mateo ordered, snapping his fingers at the soldiers manning the computers.

A large man in a grey suit, his muscles straining against the fabric, shook his head. “We’ve only got video from the roof, no audio, boss.”

Mason’s stomach twisted as he pulled out his phone, dialling Donni. The silence in the room was deafening, every pair of eyes fixed on him. There was something oddly reassuring about the way his lieutenants and soldiers had started acknowledging Elnora as his woman. He had never been one for public displays of affection or declarations of possession, but with Elnora, it was different. No one questioned the speed or intensity of their relationship, not Donni, not Grey—no one.

The phone rang twice before Donni picked up. “Give my headstrong woman the phone,” Mason ordered.

He watched as Elnora grabbed the phone, barely giving Donni a chance to hand it over. A small smile tugged at his lips, a rare and fleeting thing. Donni had a soft spot for her, and Mason found comfort in that, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

“El, you need to board that helicopter and leave this place,” Mason said.

She turned to face the camera, a deep frown on her face. He could see the stubbornness in her eyes, the refusal to back down. Even with the impending danger, she was here, trying fighting alongside him. He tried to conceal the emotions churning in his gut, but the mix of pride, satisfaction, and appreciation was impossible to ignore.

As she paced in front of the camera, explaining her reasons, Mason’s sour expression softened. She was a constant enigma, always one step ahead, always surprising him. At this point, he wasn’t sure what he could do for her—or if he could do anything at all. She was more than just an ally; she was his ace.

“I’ll handle it,” he said, his voice quieter than he intended. “Now, will you let Donni get you out of here?”

She paused, taking a deep breath, and looked directly at the camera, as if she could see him through it. The connection between them was incredible, like a thread pulling them together despite everything. Then, with a reluctant nod, she handed the phone back to Donni and moved toward the helicopter, her figure shrinking on the screen.

“Boss,” Mateo’s voice snapped him back to reality, the urgency in his tone dragging Mason’s focus back to the immediate threat. He pointed to the screen where the Russians were rigging explosives to the steel-lined door. His eyes were wide with panic, his face a twisted mask of hysteria.

“Giorgio,” Mason barked, stepping closer to the big screen. “Send a drone to Akim’s second at the door. I need to have a word with him.”

“Yes, boss,” Gioegio replied, his fingers already flying over the controls.

“Grey, Mateo, Benny,” Mason continued. “Get your soldiers in place. Secure all three exits. If they breach Eden, make sure they don’t get past you.”

The room buzzed with activity as his lieutenants sprang into action, their presence gradually thinning out until only Mason, Giorgio, and a handful of soldiers remained. Mason’s gaze was locked on the feed as the drone descended, moving swiftly toward the entrance of Eden.

He wondered how Elnora had acquired such critical information. It was possible, even likely, that during her relentless search for her father, she had stumbled into something far more dangerous than she had shared with him. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it; he had to fix this.

“What’s your name?” Mason asked, directing his question to a massive soldier stationed in the control room.

The man jumped to his feet, his expression a mix of fear and respect. “Giovanni, sir… boss.”

“I need eyes and ears on all my lieutenants right now,” Mason ordered, pointing to the bank of monitors to the left of the big screen. “The rest of you, keep watch on what’s happening outside.”

“Boss,” Giorgio interrupted from across the room. “I’ve got Sergei.”

Mason turned his attention back to the feed, his eyes narrowing as the image of Sergei appeared on the screen, the man’s face twisted in a sneer. “You’ve got five minutes to bring the boss out or—”

“Or what?” Mason cut him off, his tone ice-cold. “This isn’t a negotiation, Sergei. You and your men have five minutes to get the hell off my premises. Giorgio, start the countdown on Eden’s signboard.”

“Yes, boss,” Giorgio responded, his fingers dancing over the keyboard.

Mason leaned closer to the screen. “When that time is up, I’ve got a bullet with Akim’s name on it—and yours, too. Can’t leave you out of all the fun. The moment your brains paint that wall, all your bases will go up in flames. Thanks to your organization, I have the drones needed to make that happen.”

Sergei laughed, a low, sinister sound. “We have more, and if you don’t release our boss in the next five minutes, we’ll bury this place in rubble.”

“I figured you’d say that.” Mason’s smile was dark. “Humour me, you dumb fuck. Check to see if your drones are still there. This might be a good time to tell you Your Pridestorm cave is under siege.”

Mason watched Sergei’s smug expression falter, his bravado crumbling as he barked orders in Russian, turning to his men with in panic. The shift in Sergei’s demeanour was as satisfying as it was predictable, and Mason felt a grim satisfaction as he watched the Russians scramble.

Elnora’s words echoed in his mind, her strategy unfolding exactly as she had predicted. He had no idea what he’d done to deserve her, but in this moment, he wasn’t going to question it. She was his, and with her by his side, he knew they could burn the world down and rebuild it from the ashes.

“There are more drones heading toward Eden now, boss. Could they be ours?” Giorgio asked as he approached Mason with a tablet in hand, zooming in on the approaching machines.

Mason’s unease grew as he studied the screen. The drones were closing in fast, and it was impossible to tell if they were controlled by the Russians or by Elnora. She had told him she had access to their entire network, including their drones, but there was still an unknown factor at play. Sergei and his men were watching, too, their expressions mirroring his uncertainty.

Then, as the smaller-than-usual drones descended toward Eden’s entrance, Mason’s suspicion was confirmed.

“It’s her,” Mason muttered under his breath, a smirk tugging at his lips. He turned his attention back to the feed. “Tick tock, Sergei.”

Giorgio, eyes still fixed on the screen, whispered to himself, “Those are Parker drones. We can use them like guns, boss. That’s why Signoria brought them here.”

A surge of panic spread across Sergei’s face on the screen as he barked orders to his men outside. “Clear out, right now!”

Mason watched, amusement flickering in his eyes. Sergei was fully aware of the firepower those drones packed, and he wasn’t about to take any chances. What Sergei didn’t know was that Elnora wouldn’t actually be able to fire them—an oversight that worked in Mason’s favour. As he smiled to himself, he marvelled at how someone could wield so much power and choose not to use it. If he had half of what she did…

The timer on Eden’s digital signboard flashed, catching Mason’s eye. He could end this right now—order his men to shoot Sergei and his crew to kingdom come. But Mason was a man of his word, and there were still two minutes left on the clock.

“It’s unlikely they’ll still be here when time’s up,” Mason said. “But if they are, go berserk.” He glanced at Giorgio before turning on his heel and walking out of the control room.

Mason’s mind was already spinning with possibilities as he made his way to the lift. Grabbing his phone, he dialled Donni. Luca, the last of his lieutenants, marched toward him, flanked by four armed soldiers. Luca couldn’t join all the fun earlier because he had to make sure all their distributions and supply chain were taken care of.

“We’ve secured our guests, boss,” Luca said, his men adjusting their weapons as they moved into position.

Mason nodded, his mind still on Elnora. When Donni picked up, Mason wasted no time. “Put her on.” He then turned to Luca. “Luca, I want you and Mateo to make sure Sergei and his men return to their base and stay there. I don’t want to hear another word from the Russians, and take them down if they try anything. Let Sergio know he owes me a new door.”

Luca waved his soldiers along as he responded, “~Si, capo.~”

Mason’s attention shifted back to the phone as Elnora’s voice came through. “Tell me everything you’ve found out about the Russians. Can you patch it through to Giorgio along with controls for those drones?” he asked, a dark satisfaction curling in his chest as he listened to her talk. She didn’t realize just how intoxicating her voice was when she discussed strategy, how it set his blood on fire in a way nothing else could.

“I don’t want you getting used to us being interrupted so often, Elnora,” he said. “I’ll make this up to you. You have my word.”

But as the reality of the situation settled back into his mind, he knew that making it up to her was going to be more complicated than he was making it out to be. Because the truth was, in this business, there was no such thing as peace—not for long.

After a moment of heavy silence, Elnora exhaled sharply and handed the phone back to Donni without saying anything. In person, Mason could usually decipher her thoughts with ease–sometomes, but over the phone, she was an enigma. The disconnect left him unsettled, a tension coiling in his gut as the elevator doors slid open.

Gia stepped out, flanked by a handful of her soldiers who chorused their greetings with a bow. The woman was all sharp angles and predatory grace, her eyes gleaming with cunning.

“Boss,” she greeted, her voice smooth as silk. She leaned in, kissing his cheeks in a customary gesture. “Where do you need us, M?”

Mason waved her men away, motioning for Gia to walk with him. Gia was the one who kept the Castelli machine running smoothly while they transitioned from being runned by the De Lauros’ to him, the one who knew the web of connections and secrets better than anyone. If anyone could uncover the truth about Elnora’s father, it would be her. She had worked as COO of Xor Group for years until he put her in charge of the Whistle Blower franchise.

“I need all the off the book information you can find on a former Xor employee,” he said.

Gia arched an eyebrow. “Of course, M. Who are we talking about?”

Mason’s jaw tightened. He should have asked Elnora more about it, should have pieced this together sooner to get her father’s first name. “Watton,” he finally responded, hoping that was enough. “Find everything you can on Watton and report back to me.”

Gia’s head tilted slightly, her lips curving into a knowing smirk. “Rafael Watton, the chemist?” she asked and that almost eidetic memory of hers fascinated him all over again. “Why the sudden interest in him?”

The question hit him like a punch to the gut. If Gia knew Rafael Watton’s name off the top of her head, it meant the De Lauros had their fingerprints all over whatever happened to Elnora’s father. His headache pulsed because he knew it wouldn’t be good.

“You know him, then?” Mason heard himself swallow.

“Of course, M. Amelia slit his throat when she found out he’d created a drug that could’ve made us millions, but refused to share the formula because we were mafia. The De Lauro family wasn’t exactly known for patience or forgiveness,” Gia explained as if discussing the weather. “Grey took care of him ages ago and made sure there was no body to be found.”

The cold, brutal truth of it settled in Mason’s gut like a lead weight. Of course, that’s why Elnora never found anything. Her father had been erased, wiped clean by the very people Mason once called family.

“Good to see you again, Gia,” he said, his voice devoid of warmth. “I’ll send for you when I need you.”

Gia, sensing the shift in his demeanour, nodded and stepped back as she turned to leave. As she disappeared down the hall, Mason’s thoughts churned in dark, relentless circles.

That’s why Elnora never found anything. Amelia had made her father disappear, and now Mason had to deal with the consequences of that brutal legacy. The rage that simmered beneath his calm exterior was a familiar burn, one he knew all too well.

Would they bounce back from this? Would she ever forgive him for this?