Chapter 6
The storm came on a Thursday night.
A massive ice storm knocked out power grids across the South Side of Chicago, plunging the Moretti estate into semi-darkness. Emergency generators hummed to life instantly, casting dim amber lighting across the vast corridors.
Inside the east wing suite, Sophia was tucking Emma into bed. Bruno lay stretched out across the rug near the fireplace, his massive head resting on his paws, his ears twitching at the sound of the wind howling against the windowpanes.
"Mommy, why is the lights yellow?" Emma asked, pulling her duvet up to her chin.
"Just the storm, sweetie," Sophia reassured her, smoothing back her daughter's hair. "The house has big power machines. We're safe."
Suddenly, Bruno snapped his head up.
The heavy dog stood up silently, his muscle mass contracting, his tail rigid. A low, terrifying growl began to resonate deep within his chest—a sound so primal it made the hairs on Sophia’s arms stand on end.
"Bruno?" Sophia whispered, her heart dropping into her stomach.
CRASH.
The sound of breaking glass echoed from the ground floor below, followed immediately by the muffled thump-thump-thump of silenced automatic gunfire.
Sophia screamed softly, throwing herself over Emma on the bed.
Before she could process the terror, the heavy oak door of her suite was thrown open. Alessandro strode into the room, holding a tactical submachine gun in his hands, wearing a black kevlar vest over his shirt.
"Under the bed. Now!" Alessandro commanded sharply.
"Alessandro! What's happening?" Sophia gasped, sliding off the bed and pulling Emma down onto the hardwood floor.
"Vance’s mercenaries breached the south gate," Alessandro said, his voice terrifyingly calm despite the violent chaos erupting downstairs. "They cut the primary security lines during the grid failure. Marco is holding the main hall, but three men are heading up the east stairwell."
He looked down at Bruno. The dog’s lips were peeled back, revealing lethal, yellowed teeth, white foam glistening at the corners of his mouth.
"Bruno," Alessandro barked, pointing toward the corridor. "Guard!"
The Cane Corso didn't hesitate. He shot out of the room like a four-hundred-pound missile, his claws digging into the hardwood floor as he charged into the dark hallway. Seconds later, a blood-curdling scream of terror echoing from the stairwell confirmed that Bruno had found his prey.
Alessandro turned back to Sophia. He reached down, snatched her by the waist, and pulled her to her feet, shoving her and Emma into the small reinforced panic room hidden behind the suite's walk-in closet.
"Stay inside. Lock the steel bolt from the interior," Alessandro ordered, his hands holding her face firmly. "Do not open it for anyone except me or Marco."
"Alessandro, please! Don't go!" Sophia wept, clutching his tactical vest. "They'll kill you!"
Alessandro looked into her tear-filled eyes. He leaned down and pressed a hard, possessive kiss against her lips—a kiss that tasted of thunder, rain, and absolute defiance.
May you like
"They can try," Alessandro whispered against her mouth. "Lock the door, Sophia."
He slammed the heavy steel panic door shut. Sophia threw the internal deadbolt, pulling Emma tight against her chest in the dark, listening to the war breaking out in the mansion outside.
