omg The Mafia Boss's Baby Reached For One Waitress Only, And Nobody Could Explain Why

"Stay down!"

Dante was moving before the second explosion even finished echoing across the stone courtyard. In a blur of motion, he drew a suppressed automatic pistol from a concealed holster beneath his arm, flicking off the safety with a sharp click.

A heavy burst of automatic gunfire rattled against the reinforced glass of the study windows, spraying glittering shards of bullet-resistant safety glass across the Persian rug.

"Kael!" Dante roared into the tactical comms unit clipped to his collar. "Report!"

"East gate's been breached, Boss!" Kael’s voice crackled back through the static, punctuated by the unmistakable pop of return fire. "A professional hit team—at least a dozen men, heavy ordnance. They bypassed the perimeter sensors using a military-grade jammer!"

"Secure the panic room!" Dante ordered, sprinting across the room toward me. He didn't hesitate; he scooped Leo out of the bassinet, cradling the baby securely against his chest with one arm while keeping his weapon raised with the other. He grabbed my wrist with his free hand, his grip like iron. "Mara, move! Now!"

"I—I can't shoot!" I stammered, my heart slamming against my ribs like a trapped bird as another volley of bullets chewed through the heavy oak door of the study.

"I don't need you to shoot!" Dante yelled over the deafening wail of the alarms. "I need you to run!"

He dragged me toward a hidden panel behind a massive bookcase in the corner of the study. With a hard shove of his shoulder, the heavy wood swung inward, revealing a dark, concrete stairwell descending into the bowels of the estate.

"Down! Go!" Dante shoved me into the stairwell just as a grenade detonated in the main hallway outside, blowing the study doors inward in a terrifying concussive wave of smoke, splintered wood, and fire.

We tumbled down the concrete steps into the reinforced basement bunker. The air down here smelled of damp earth, emergency generator exhaust, and old iron. Dante slammed a massive steel bulkhead door shut behind us, spinning the heavy wheel lock until it sealed with a definitive, airtight clank.

We stood in the dim emergency lighting, panting heavily. Little Leo finally woke up, startled by the noise, and let out a piercing, terrified wail.

"Shh, shh, little man, I've got you," Dante murmured, his voice softening instantly as he rocked his nephew against his chest, even as his eyes remained fixed on the reinforced steel door, his gun raised and ready.

I leaned against the cold concrete wall, sliding down until I hit the floor, my knees trembling so violently I couldn't support my own weight. "Who are they?" I whispered, tears finally breaking free, hot and fast down my cheeks. "Who wants us dead?"

Dante knelt beside me, keeping one hand on his weapon while using the other to stroke Leo’s soft hair. He looked at me, his eyes dark and resolute in the crimson emergency glow.

"The Vanguard Syndicate," Dante said grimly. "The same men who ordered my father's empire dismantled, and the same men who hunted my sister across the globe twenty-five years ago. They thought they finished the bloodline when Elena's car went off that cliff. They realized today... that they missed a piece."

"And I'm the piece," I whispered, the horrifying truth settling over me like a shroud.

"You are a Moretti," Dante corrected sharply, reaching out to grip my shoulder, his touch grounding me amidst the chaos. "And the Morettis do not break. Not for them. Not for anyone."

Above us, the heavy thud of combat boots echoed against the ceiling. Muted shouting, the sharp crack of firearms, and the deep rumble of explosives vibrated through the concrete bunker. They were clearing the house room by room, hunting us down.

Dante checked the magazine of his pistol, sliding it home with a sharp, lethal snap. He looked at the heavy steel door, then back at me.

"Stay behind the blast pillar," Dante commanded, his voice carrying the absolute authority of a warlord preparing for his final stand. "If that door opens, you run through the utility tunnel at the back of the room. It leads out to the cliffs by the sound. Kael has a boat waiting."

"And you?" I demanded, grabbing his sleeve. "What about you?"