Chapter 4 - The Touch of Innocence
Lily dropped to her knees beside Aleandro. She didn't care about the red stain soaking into her pink nightgown.
She reached out and laid her tiny hand directly over Aleandro's cold, pale cheek. "Mr. Lee. Wake up."
On the floor, Aleandro’s eyelids fluttered.
The darkness surrounding his mind was heavy, cold, and suffocating. The pain in his side was a dull, burning knife. He could hear the faint echo of gunshots, the smell of his own blood, and the distant knowledge that someone inside his inner circle had sold him out. He was ready to slip away. He had lived a violent life, and a violent death was the only end he had ever expected.
Then, he felt something small and warm against his skin.
A tiny hand. A soft, innocent voice.
Aleandro’s dark eyes opened, unfocused and bloodshot. His gaze slowly shifted until it met the bright brown eyes of the maid’s three-year-old daughter.
"Lily..." Aleandro rasped, his voice a broken whisper of dust and blood.
"Mr. Lee, you have a boo-boo," Lily said matter-of-factly, pointing to his side. She looked up at Dr. Vance, who was standing frozen ten feet away. She waved her little arm. "Doctor man! Come fix Mr. Lee."
Bruno stood up tall beside Lily. He didn't growl. He didn't shift into a strike posture. He simply leaned his massive body against Lily’s side, placing his head over her shoulder, his dark eyes watching Dr. Vance with a silent, heavy warning: Touch him only to heal him.
Dr. Vance didn't hesitate. "Marco, grab the trauma kit! Slowly!"
Marco sprinted forward, dropping the kit beside the doctor. Dr. Vance dropped to his knees on the other side of Aleandro, pulling out scissors to cut away the blood-soaked vest.
Bruno’s body went tense, a quick growl catching in his throat, but Lily immediately turned and patted the dog’s broad head. "No, doggy. Nice doctor."
Bruno relaxed, resting his chin on Lily’s small shoulder while Dr. Vance worked.
"The bullet missed the heart, but it nicked the intercostal artery," Dr. Vance said frantically, applying heavy pressure clamps to stop the bleeding. "He’s lost too much blood! We need to move him to the medical bay right now!"
"Gurney!" Marco barked. Two guards rushed in with a folding stretcher.
As they lifted Aleandro onto the canvas, his cold fingers weakly reached out. He didn't grab Marco. He didn't grab the doctor.
His fingers brushed against the edge of Lily’s small, plush rabbit.
"Keep... her... safe," Aleandro managed to choke out, his eyes fixing on Marco with a spark of his old, terrifying intensity. "If anything... happens to the child... I'll burn... this city..."
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"I swear it, Boss," Marco said, tears streaming down his face. "She’s safe. The whole house belongs to her now."
As they wheeled Aleandro down the corridor toward the East Wing medical suite, Bruno didn't stay behind. The massive dog walked side by side with tiny Lily, who held onto his leather collar with one hand, walking calmly through the blood and glass like a tiny queen leading her loyal monster into battle.
