Chapter 1 - Locked In
The silence following the click of the lock was suffocating. Lorenzo Rossi didn’t flinch, but the line of his jaw turned to absolute iron.
"Stay behind me," he growled, his voice dropping an octave as he raised his pistol back toward the door.
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. Leo was still pressed against my chest, his tiny fingers clutching weakly at the fabric of my maid’s uniform. He had stopped nursing, unsettled by the sudden tension radiating through both of us.
Outside, the voice whispered my name again. It was low, raspy, and painfully familiar.
“Clara… I know you’re in there. Open up before I burn this whole damn place down.”
Marcus.
My violent ex-boyfriend—the man responsible for pushing me down the stairs, the man who stole my baby’s life—was inside the most guarded mansion in the state.
"You know who that is?" Lorenzo’s dark eyes locked onto mine. There was no pity in them, only lethal curiosity.
"It’s Marcus," I stammered, my voice barely louder than a whisper. "My ex. He... he owes money to dangerous people. I thought he fled the state."
"He didn't come alone," Lorenzo muttered, glancing at the sleeping night nurse. He strode over to her, grabbing her by the collar, and shook her forcefully. She flopped like a rag doll, completely unresponsive. He brought his fingers to her neck, then smelled the wineglass on the nightstand. "Sedated. Heavy dose of Valium. She’s been drugging my son’s bottles to keep him quiet while she slept... or while she helped someone bypass the security grid."
A sudden burst of automatic gunfire echoed from the lower courtyard, followed by the blare of the estate's alarm system. Red emergency lights began to flash through the translucent blinds, casting a bloody glow over the nursery.
"They're taking out the perimeter guards," Lorenzo said calmly, though the aura around him was terrifying. He approached the double doors, lifted his heavy boot, and kicked the lock mechanism with violent force. The wood splintered, but the reinforced deadbolt held.
"They jammed the electronic override," he said, turning back to me. He unbuttoned his tactical vest, pulled a sleek silver radio from his pocket, and pressed the talk button. "Code Black in the main house. All units suppress."
Static was his only answer. The comms were jammed.
"Listen to me, Clara," Lorenzo said, walking toward me with long, measured strides. "My men are dying outside, which means there is a mole in my inner circle. Right now, you are holding the heir to the Rossi family. If you drop him, or if you let anyone take him, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth."
"I would die before I let anyone hurt him," I said fiercely, tightening my grip on Leo. The instinct was primal, born from the fresh, bleeding wound of losing my daughter Lily.
Lorenzo paused, staring deeply into my eyes. For a fraction of a second, the cold mafioso disappeared, replaced by a man who saw a mother’s soul. He reached into his belt and pulled out a small, heavy snub-nosed revolver, pressing it into my hand.
"Do you know how to use this?" he asked.
"Point and pull," I swallowed hard.
May you like
"Good. Don't miss."
He turned toward the heavy mahogany door, took two steps back, and fired three rounds directly into the hinges. The wood shattered into splinters. Lorenzo kicked the door down with a deafening roar, plunging us right into the heart of the nightmare.
