It was a cold March morning in Chicago, dirty snow on the curbs, I had been working at the Moretti estate for exactly twenty-three minutes when I realized Emma was no longer in the staff room — her yellow sweater gone, Mr. Rabbit gone, one red crayon under the folding chair and the pouch with three butter cookies gone with her.

I shoved Emma into the hidden, steel-reinforced safe-room behind the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, stepping inside with her and holding my hand over her mouth. Through the one-way glass panel, we watched the study.

BOOM!

The heavy oak door was kicked open. Matteo strode into the room, backed by Dr. Sterling and two armed enforcers holding suppressed pistols.

"What is the meaning of this, Matteo?" Alessandro asked calmly, sitting in his wheelchair behind the mahogany desk, his arms resting casually on the armrests.

Matteo sneered, pulling a silver pistol from his jacket. "It means your time is up, cousin. We heard your little nurse snooping outside the library. Where is she?"

"She left twenty minutes ago," Alessandro lied smoothly. "Why are you holding a gun in my house, Matteo?"

"Because I’m tired of waiting for you to die!" Matteo spat. "Two years ago, that roadside bomb was supposed to put you in the dirt. But you survived! So I hired Sterling to keep you in that damned chair until I could solidify the Capos’ loyalty. But now... it’s time to finalize the takeover."

Matteo gestured to Dr. Sterling. "Give him the final dose, Doctor. We’ll tell the media it was a stroke."

Dr. Sterling stepped forward on trembling legs, pulling a massive syringe filled with clear fluid from his pocket.

"You broke the cardinal rule of our family, Matteo," Alessandro said, his voice dropping into a register that sent shivers down my spine. "You brought treason into my home."

"What are you going to do about it, Alessandro?" Matteo mocked, stepping closer. "You can't even stand up."

"Is that what you think?" Alessandro whispered.

Suddenly, Alessandro’s hand darted underneath his desk, pressing an emergency tactical button!

CLICK-CLACK!

The heavy steel shutters over the study windows slammed shut instantly, cutting off all light!

Before Matteo’s enforcers could react, Alessandro reached into the hidden drawer beneath his desk, pulled out a heavy black 9mm pistol, and racked the slide with lightning speed!

BANG! BANG!

Two gunshots shattered the dark room! The two armed enforcers dropped to the floor before they could even raise their weapons!

"What the hell?!" Matteo shrieked, firing blindly into the shadows.

Dr. Sterling screamed, dropping the syringe and scrambling toward the open door, but Marco—Alessandro’s loyal head of security—burst into the hallway with six heavy tactical guards, tackling Sterling to the carpet!

Inside the dark room, Matteo panicked, backing away toward the desk. "Alessandro! Wait! We're blood!"

A shadow rose from behind the desk.