Chapter 7 - The Iron Gate
Luca drew a sleek black weapon from beneath his coat. "Dante. Sweep and eliminate. Nobody leaves that staircase alive."
"Yes, Don Luca."
The Maybach screeched to a halt, completely blocking the gray van. The doors of our flanking SUVs burst open, and eight heavily armed Moretti operatives poured into the street, tactical lights illuminating the shadowed doorway of my apartment building.
Gunfire erupted inside the stairwell—sharp, muffled cracks of suppressed weapons echoing against the concrete walls.
I pressed my face against the tinted glass, sobbing, praying to every saint my grandmother had ever taught me about. *Please protect my baby. Please keep Leo safe.*
Two minutes felt like an eternity.
Suddenly, the front glass doors of the apartment building shattered outward. A man dressed in black tactical gear fell backward onto the concrete steps, dead before he hit the ground.
Moments later, Dante emerged, sweeping his weapon left and right, signaling the all-clear.
Behind him walked Luca.
In his arms was a small, pale blue fleece blanket.
My lungs seized. I kicked open the car door, ignoring the rain pouring down on my hair and uniform, and ran straight toward him.
"Leo!"
Luca stepped forward, shielding the bundle from the cold downpour with his broad overcoat. Inside the blanket, Leo was crying—screaming at the top of his little lungs, his red, chubby face contorted in anger, but he was whole. He was unhurt.
Behind Luca, two guards were carefully assisting my mother, who was trembling and clutching her rosary beads, but walking on her own two feet.
"They kicked the door in, Hannah!" Mom wept as I reached her, wrapping one arm around her while pulling Leo against my chest with the other. "They had zip ties! They were asking for you! Then these men came in through the fire escape like ghosts..."
"He's safe, Mom. We're safe," I cried, burying my face in Leo’s warm, baby-powder-scented neck. His tiny fists grabbed at my collar, his frantic wails slowing to soft hiccups as he recognized my scent.
Luca stood above us, letting the rain soak through his expensive suit, looking down at my son with a quiet, reverent expression.
"You cannot go back to this neighborhood," Luca said quietly. "Castiglione has crossed a line that cannot be uncrossed. Vanessa traded your life to buy his favor, and he took the bait."
May you like
"Where do we go?" I asked, terrified.
"Home," Luca replied. "To the estate. The north wing has its own security perimeter. You and Leo will live there until every rat in this city is eradicated."
