Chapter 3 - The Threat Unmasked
Sarah dropped the folder against her chest, her mind spinning in dizzying circles.
For three years, she had believed she was a solitary hero fighting against the cruel world to keep her child fed and warm. To learn that her struggle had been quietly held up by the invisible hand of the man she feared was overwhelming.
"Why come out now?" Sarah asked, her voice cracking. "If you stayed hidden for three years to keep us safe... why show yourself today?"
Aleandro’s face darkened instantly. The tender father vanished, replaced by the terrifying Don.
"Because the war in my family is over," Aleandro said grimly. "My cousin Marco was eliminated last night. The Moretti syndicate is entirely under my control now."
He paused, stepping closer to Sarah, looking deeply into her eyes.
"And because Marco’s remaining loyalists found out about the file yesterday. They know who Lily is."
Sarah gasped, clutching Lily tightly. "Oh God..."
"They are coming for her, Sarah," Aleandro said firmly. "Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today. The apartment above the laundromat is no longer safe. You and Lily are coming with me to the estate on Long Island."
Before Sarah could respond, a sudden, sharp screech of tires echoed from the street behind them.
A dark gray SUV mounted the curb near the park entrance, its doors flying open. Four men in tactical jackets stepped out, pulling submachine guns from beneath their coats.
"Aleandro! Look out!" Sarah screamed.
In a split second, Aleandro didn't reach for a gun. He lunged forward, grabbing Sarah and Lily in his massive arms, throwing his body over them as they hit the grass behind a concrete retaining wall.
TRRRRRRR-RAT-TAT-TAT!
Glass shattered and concrete exploded above their heads as a hail of bullets ripped through the park benches.
Aleandro’s bodyguards instantly returned fire from behind the sedans. The park erupted into chaotic gunshots, engine roars, and screaming pedestrians fleeing for safety.
"Aleandro!" Sarah sobbed, covering Lily’s ears as the little girl began to cry.
May you like
Aleandro looked down at his daughter, his eyes burning with a dark, primal rage he had never felt before. He reached into his coat, pulled out a sleek, suppressed pistol, and looked at Sarah.
"Stay down," Aleandro commanded. "No one touches my family."
