I couldn't sleep.
Dante had left three hours ago 2 AM, as planned leading three teams to strike Volkov businesses simultaneously. A strip club in Manhattan. A gambling den in Brooklyn. A warehouse in Queens. Hit them hard, hit them fast, send a message.
And I was supposed to just wait here. Safe. Protected. Useless.
I paced the bedroom in one of Dante's t-shirts, checking my phone obsessively even though I knew he wouldn't call until it was over. Radio silence during operations. Basic security protocol.
"You're going to wear a hole in the floor, child."
I spun to find Rosa in the doorway, holding two mugs of tea.
"I can't just sit here, Rosa. He's out there, in danger, and I'm"
"Where he needs you to be. Safe. So he can focus on the mission instead of worrying about you." She handed me a mug. "Sit. Drink. Try to breathe."
