Vanessa spent the next hour wandering through the mansion.
Not aimlessly.
Carefully.
Every hallway told a story.
Every door revealed something about the man who lived here.
The De Luca estate was elegant, but it wasn't flashy. No gold statues. No ridiculous displays of wealth like she had seen in some crime bosses' houses.
Instead, everything felt calculated.
Minimal.
Controlled.
Just like Gale.
Vanessa walked slowly down another hallway, pretending to admire a painting while her eyes quietly scanned the ceiling.
Cameras.
Two of them.
Small.
Well hidden.
But she noticed.
"Still auditing my house?"
Vanessa didn't even flinch this time.
Gale's voice had a habit of appearing out of nowhere.
She turned slightly.
"You should fire whoever installed those cameras."
Gale leaned against the wall casually.
"Why?"
"There are blind angles."
He watched her with mild curiosity.
"You're very comfortable criticizing my security."
Vanessa shrugged.
"You invited a detective into your home."
"That might have been a mistake."
"It definitely was."
Gale smiled faintly.
"Good."
Vanessa frowned.
"You enjoy this too much."
"Watching you try to dismantle my life?"
"Yes."
"That's concerning."
Gale didn't deny it.
Vanessa turned toward the staircase.
"I'm going outside."
Gale immediately straightened.
"No."
Vanessa stopped.
"Excuse me?"
"You can't leave the estate alone."
"I'm not a prisoner."
"No."
He walked closer.
"But you are a target."
Vanessa crossed her arms.
"Let them try."
"They will."
"Then they'll regret it."
Gale studied her carefully.
"You're confident."
"I'm trained."
"Confidence and training aren't the same thing."
Vanessa leaned slightly closer.
"Then come with me."
Gale raised an eyebrow.
"You want my protection?"
Vanessa smirked.
"I want to see if the mafia king can keep up with a detective."
For a moment Gale didn't move.
Then he sighed quietly.
"You're exhausting."
"But you're coming."
Gale grabbed his jacket from a nearby chair.
"Fine."
—
Ten minutes later, they stepped outside the mansion gates.
Vanessa immediately noticed the change.
Inside the estate, everything felt controlled.
Outside, the world returned to normal chaos.
Cars passed along the road.
Wind rustled through the trees.
But Vanessa also noticed something else.
Two black vehicles slowly began moving behind them.
She glanced at Gale.
"Your security?"
"Yes."
"Subtle."
"They're not meant to be."
Vanessa walked along the quiet road bordering the estate walls.
"You really think Romano will attack?"
Gale answered calmly.
"Yes."
"When?"
"Soon."
"How soon?"
Gale's eyes moved toward the road ahead.
"Probably now."
Vanessa blinked.
"What?"
A black van suddenly screeched around the corner.
The vehicle stopped in the middle of the road.
Four men jumped out.
Guns in their hands.
Vanessa's detective instincts reacted instantly.
"Down!"
She grabbed Gale's arm and pulled him behind a stone wall just as gunshots erupted.
Bullets slammed into the pavement.
Glass shattered nearby.
Vanessa's heart pounded, but her mind remained perfectly clear.
Ambush.
Planned.
Fast.
"Romano's men?" she asked quickly.
"Yes."
"Four shooters."
"More in the van."
Vanessa peeked around the corner.
One of the attackers moved closer.
Another circled toward the garden wall.
"Your security is slow," she muttered.
"They're coming."
Vanessa grabbed a fallen metal rod from the ground.
"Until then?"
Gale calmly pulled a pistol from inside his jacket.
Until that moment, Vanessa had never actually seen Gale fight.
She had seen him command.
Manipulate.
Control.
But now she saw something else.
The moment gunfire erupted again—
Gale stepped out from cover.
Calm.
Precise.
He fired twice.
Two clean shots.
Two attackers dropped instantly.
Vanessa blinked.
"Well," she muttered.
"That was efficient."
The remaining two men panicked.
One fired wildly.
Vanessa rushed forward before Gale could stop her.
The metal rod swung hard.
Crack.
The attacker collapsed.
The last man turned and ran.
But Gale didn't chase him.
Vanessa frowned.
"You're letting him go?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Gale lowered his pistol slowly.
"Because I want Romano to know something."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Gale looked directly at her.
"That his first move failed."
At that moment, the two security vehicles finally arrived.
Guards jumped out.
Weapons drawn.
Marco stepped out of the lead car.
His eyes immediately scanned the scene.
Two bodies.
One unconscious attacker.
Vanessa holding a metal rod.
Gale standing calmly beside her.
Marco sighed.
"I leave you alone for twenty minutes."
Vanessa shrugged.
"They started it."
Marco looked at Gale.
"You're okay?"
"Yes."
Marco turned toward Vanessa.
"You too?"
"Obviously."
Marco looked impressed.
"You knocked one of them out?"
Vanessa tossed the metal rod aside.
"He ran into it."
Marco chuckled.
"I like her."
Gale didn't respond.
He was still watching Vanessa.
Carefully.
Finally he spoke.
"You disobeyed me."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow.
"I survived."
"That wasn't the point."
Vanessa stepped closer to him.
"You expected me to hide?"
"Yes."
"Then you married the wrong woman."
The tension between them sharpened slightly.
Marco looked between them.
"I feel like I should leave."
Vanessa ignored him.
Her eyes stayed locked on Gale.
"You said Romano would attack."
"Yes."
"And you were right."
"Yes."
Vanessa crossed her arms.
"So now what?"
Gale's expression hardened slightly.
"Now we respond."
Vanessa smiled slowly.
"That sounds like a war."
Gale didn't deny it.
Vanessa's eyes gleamed with interest.
"Good."
Gale looked at her for a long moment.
Then he said something quietly.
"Vanessa."
"Yes?"
"You're enjoying this."
Vanessa tilted her head.
"Maybe."
Gale's gaze darkened slightly.
"That could become a problem."
Vanessa stepped closer.
"Or it could make me useful."
Silence stretched between them.
Finally—
Gale smiled slightly.
Not amused.
Not mocking.
Approving.
"Well then, detective," he said quietly.
"Welcome to the war."