Chapter 4 - The Shadows Gather

Before Aleandro could touch Emma’s cheek, the heavy front door was suddenly pushed open.

Matteo, Aleandro’s top enforcer and right-hand man, stepped quickly into the hallway, his face dark with urgency. He didn't look at me or the children; his eyes were fixed entirely on his Don.

"Boss," Matteo said quietly, his hand resting inside his suit jacket. "We have a situation. The tracking signal on Oliver’s phone was intercepted before we killed the tap. Sal Vicari’s men know Oliver is in Queens."

Aleandro’s entire demeanor shifted in a fraction of a second. The weeping, heartbroken father vanished. In his place stood a predator.

He stood up, handing Oliver gently to me. "How close are they?"

"Three blocks," Matteo reported grimly. "Two heavy vehicles. They brought heavy automatic weapons, Boss. They think Oliver is alone with a nurse."

I gasped, pulling both Emma and Oliver behind me. "Vicari? The Camorra capo from the docks?"

Aleandro turned to me, his dark eyes burning with an absolute, lethal promise. "He’s been trying to find my son for three weeks to use him as leverage for the northern docks. He followed Oliver's dead phone signal here."

"No... no, no, no!" I panicked, grabbing Aleandro’s arm. "Not my house! Not near my children!"

"They won't touch this house, Sophia," Aleandro said softly, taking my face in both of his large, warm hands. "I swear to you on my life. They will not step foot on your porch."

He looked at Matteo. "Tell the men outside to fall back behind the tree line. Let Vicari think he’s ambushing a quiet house. Then, close the trap."

"Boss," Matteo hesitated, looking at me. "Your wife... Miss Sophia... she shouldn't see this."

"She stays inside with the kids," Aleandro commanded. He looked deep into my eyes, pressing his forehead against mine for one brief, agonizing second. "Stay in the kitchen, Sophia. Lock the door. Do not look out the window."

May you like

I woke up missing a kidney. My father dropped a black garbage bag beside...

The first thing I remember after surgery was the smell of disinfectant and the pressure in my side, as if someone had sewn a stone...

When a billionaire monitored his paralyzed triplets through hidden camer...

My Husband Hurted Me for Taking Our 104°F Daughter to the ER Instead of...

The sting on my left cheek did not burn nearly as hot as the skin of the six-year-old child shivering against my collarbone."Mommy...

"Aleandro..." I sobbed, my hands clutching his lapels. "Don't die. Please."

A faint, sad smile touched his lips. "I spent six years searching for a reason to live, Sophia. I just found two of them in your hallway. I'm not going anywhere."