Carnal Refuge in the Storm

The storm continued to howl outside the fortress of Castellammare, but inside the private master command sanctuary of Villa Bellini, behind steel-reinforced blast shutters and twelve-inch stone walls, the world had shrunk to a single, burning oasis of survival. In the massive fireplace, aromatic logs of dry almond wood roared with fierce heat, casting a dancing amber glow across the dark leather furniture, the tactical maps spread across the floor,…