Chapter 5 - The Shadow on the Snow
The peace lasted until late October.
The autumn leaves had turned crimson and gold across the Vermont mountains, casting long, dark shadows over the valley as the sun began to dip behind the peaks.
Alessandro was in the barn behind the cabin, checking the generator, when his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a secure satellite line that only three people on earth possessed.
He answered it. "Dominic."
"Boss," Dominic’s voice came through, strained and breathless. "We have a breach."
Alessandro’s hand tightened around the wrench he was holding. "Explain."
"Victor Moretti," Dominic reported bitterly. "The New York syndicate boss who was working with Robert Langley five years ago. He found out Maya survived the mansion fire. He bought the GPS data from a dirty satellite technician ten minutes ago. He’s sending a four-man hit team to your valley right now to eliminate her before she can claim Mateo’s share of the European holdings."
"How far out are they?" Alessandro asked, his voice instantly dropping into the cold, lethal composure of a veteran commander.
"Ten minutes, Boss. They’re coming up the south access road in a dark SUV. I’m thirty minutes away with backup."
"They won't have thirty minutes," Alessandro said coldly. "Clear the road behind them. Don't let anyone leave this valley alive."
He clicked the call off, dropped the wrench, and walked swiftly out of the barn toward the cabin.
Inside, Clara was setting the table for dinner while Maya was sitting on the rug near the fireplace, playing with her wooden wolf carvings.
Alessandro walked in, pulled the heavy oak door shut, and locked the deadbolt. He walked straight to the gun safe hidden behind the bookshelf in his study, unlocked it, and pulled out a tactical shotgun and two handguns.
Clara froze, her face draining of color. "Alessandro... what’s wrong?"
"We have company," Alessandro said calmly, handing a small 9mm pistol to Clara. He had spent the last two months teaching her basic firearm safety. "Take Maya into the reinforced storm cellar beneath the kitchen pantry. Lock the iron door from the inside. Do not open it for anyone except me."
Maya stood up instantly. She didn't panic. She looked at the silver wolf heads hanging around her neck, then up at her uncle.
"Are they the bad men who hurt my dad?" she asked softly.
Alessandro knelt down in front of her, taking her small face in his big hands. "They’re men who made a very big mistake coming to this mountain, Maya. Go with Clara. I’ll be right downstairs when it’s over."
Clara took Maya’s hand, her eyes filled with fear, but her grip was firm. She looked at Alessandro, her voice trembling slightly. "Please be careful."
Alessandro reached out, cupping Clara’s cheek gently with his palm, pressing his lips softly to hers in a brief, electric kiss that filled the cold room with heat. "I have everything to live for now, Clara. I’m not going anywhere."
May you like
He pulled away, watched them step into the pantry, and heard the heavy iron latch of the storm cellar slide home.
Then, Alessandro racked the slide of his shotgun, turned off the cabin lights, and stepped into the dark shadows near the front window.
