Chapter 5 - The Wrath of the Don
A flashbang grenade bounced across the parquet floor, detonating with a blinding light and an ear-splitting crack.
Franco was instantly disoriented, dropping Maya onto the soft rug as he covered his eyes, screaming curses. The second mercenary raised his rifle toward the window, but before he could squeeze the trigger, a heavy black SUV smashed straight through the library’s floor-to-ceiling French doors, crushing him against the marble fireplace.
The driver's side door flew open.
Alessandro Moretti stepped out into the smoke like an unleashed demon. His coat was stained with blood and rain, his eyes cold silver fire.
Franco scrambled to raise his gun, but Alessandro closed the distance in a heartbeat. He grabbed Franco’s wrist, twisting it upward until the bone snapped with a sickening crack. Franco screamed, dropping the weapon. Alessandro slammed his knee into Franco’s sternum, driving him to the floor, before pinning him down with a heavy boot to the throat.
Marco followed right behind, clearing the adjacent hallway with swift, brutal bursts of gunfire, securing the perimeter of the room.
The library fell into a deadly silence, broken only by the crackle of burning wood and the rain pouring through the shattered windows.
Alessandro didn't look at the mercenary groaning under his boot. His eyes immediately searched the floor.
Elena was crawling toward Maya, holding her trembling daughter close, sobbing uncontrollably. Maya was unharmed, shivering in her pink dress, her little face buried in her mother’s chest.
Alessandro stepped off Franco's neck, leaving the man unconscious on the floor. He walked over to Elena and Maya, dropping to one knee.
He checked the child first. "Is she hurt?"
Elena shook her head frantically, wiping tears from her face. "No... no, she’s okay. You... you came back."
"I always protect what’s mine," Alessandro said softly. He reached out, his gloved hand gently patting Maya’s soft brown curls. The little girl looked up through her tears, recognized him, and reached out her tiny hands toward him.
"Bear..." Maya whimpered.
Alessandro lifted the child gently into his strong arms, pulling her against his shoulder. Maya instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the warm leather of his jacket.
Alessandro stood up, holding the child securely, and looked down at Elena. He offered her his free hand.
Elena looked at his hand—calloused, bruised, but steady—and took it. He pulled her effortlessly to her feet.
Marco walked up, kicking Franco’s dropped gun across the room. "The house is clear, Boss. Sabatini’s men were a cleanup crew. But Carlo wasn't with them. He’s headed for the border with Sabatini."
Alessandro’s face hardened into stone. "They think they won. They think breaking into my home makes them kings."
He handed Maya back to Elena. "Marco, take Elena and Maya down to the vault beneath the wine cellar. Put four men on the door. No one leaves until I return."
"Where are you going, Alessandro?" Elena asked, panic rising in her voice as she held Maya. "It’s a trap! They have dozens of men!"
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Alessandro pulled his father’s silver pocket watch from his coat. He opened the latch. The ticking was louder now, filling the ruined room.
"Carlo took fifteen years of my family's trust," Alessandro said, his voice dropping into a register that made even Marco shudder. "I’m going to collect the interest."
