689 "The most feared mafia boss in the country pointed a gun at my head while I cradled his dying baby against my chest, convinced I was kidnapping his son. Then the child swallowed for the first time in weeks, and I realized the real danger wasn't standing in front of me—it was already living inside his mansion.

The hallway was a smoke-filled battleground. The smell of copper and gunpowder choked the air. Two of Lorenzo’s guards lay motionless on the marble floor, and down the west wing, three masked men in tactical gear were advancing with rifles raised.

"Move!" Lorenzo roared, firing his pistol with terrifying precision. Two of the attackers dropped instantly before they could squeeze a trigger.

I bolted down the eastern corridor, holding Leo tightly to my chest. The baby began to wail, overwhelmed by the deafening gunshots.

"Clara!"

I spun around. Marcus emerged from the shadows of the service staircase, holding a bloody crowbar. His eyes were wild, sunken, and crazy with desperation.

"You crazy bitch," Marcus snarled, taking a step toward me. "You thought you could run away from me? You think this mob boss is gonna protect you? They offered me five million dollars just to clear the path into this nursery!"

"You killed our baby!" I screamed, tears spilling over my cheeks as I backed away, my finger tightening around the revolver’s trigger. "You killed Lily!"

"She wasn't even born yet!" Marcus yelled, charging at me. "She was nothing!"

That word—nothing—shattered something inside me.

I raised the heavy silver gun with both hands, aimed straight at his chest, and pulled the trigger.

The recoil slammed into my wrists, and the gunshot boomed down the hall. Marcus gasped, staggering backward as a crimson stain bloomed over his left shoulder. He crashed against the wall, staring at me in utter disbelief.

"Clara..." he wheezed.

Before he could reach for his dropped weapon, Lorenzo appeared behind him like a wraith. With brutal efficiency, Lorenzo grabbed Marcus by the throat, spun him around, and slammed his head into the stone pillar. Marcus collapsed onto the floor, unconscious and bleeding heavily.

Lorenzo didn't even look down at Marcus's body. He grabbed my arm, pushing me into a hidden wall panel behind a large renaissance oil painting. The panel slid open, revealing a dark, narrow panic room.

"Get in," Lorenzo ordered. "There is water, medical supplies, and a secure satellite phone inside. The doors are solid titanium. Nothing short of a military warhead will penetrate it."

"What about you?" I asked, my voice shaking as Leo squirmed against me.