Chapter 6 - The Siege Ends
Down in the courtyard, the sharp pop-pop-pop of silenced gunfire echoed through the night air.
Luca didn't flinch. When Vance’s men raised their weapons, Dominic and four Moretti enforcers emerged from the shadow of the portico, moving with terrifying speed and precision. Within thirty seconds, Vance’s four enforcers were disarmed and pinned facedown against the wet gravel.
Marcus Vance turned pale, his smug composure shattering instantly.
"What—how did you—" Vance stammered, staring down the barrel of Luca’s 9mm pistol, which was now pressed gently against the center of Vance’s expensive silk tie.
"You thought a disgruntled ex-fiancée and a couple of rented thugs could take down my estate?" Luca asked, his voice deathly quiet. "Marcus, I built this syndicate out of blood and concrete. You’re playing checkers in a war zone."
Bianca backed away in absolute terror, tripping over her own heels and falling backward into the mud beside the fountain. "Luca! Please! He forced me! Vance threatened my family!"
"Save your breath, Bianca," Luca said without even looking at her. "Dominic, take Vance and his men to the warehouse on the river. Let’s see how much corporate strategy he remembers after a night in the cold storage units."
"Right away, boss," Dominic grinned.
As the guards hauled Vance away kicking and screaming, and dragged a weeping Bianca toward one of the auxiliary cruisers, Luca turned and walked briskly back toward the front entrance.
When he pushed the heavy oak doors open and stepped into the foyer, he expected to find chaos.
Instead, he found Emma standing at the top of the grand staircase, holding a silenced pistol pointed steadily at the unconscious guard tied securely with heavy drapes at her feet.
Luca stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at the guard, then up at Emma. Her hair was slightly out of place, her cheeks flushed, but her eyes were razor-sharp.
"Are you alright?" Luca asked, his voice dropping all pretense of cool detachment as he bounded up the stairs three at a time.
"I’m fine," Emma breathed out, lowering the pistol and handing it to him handle-first. "Though I think your perimeter security needs a serious audit, Mr. Moretti."
Luca took the weapon, letting it slide into his holster, before reaching out and gently grasping her shoulders. His hands were warm, trembling just slightly with the sudden adrenaline crash of realizing she could have been killed.
"Did he touch you?" Luca demanded, his eyes scanning her body for any sign of injury.
May you like
"No," Emma whispered, looking up into his face. The proximity between them was intoxicating. The scent of rain, cedar, and gunpowder hung in the air around them. "He tried. But I remembered what you taught me about never letting someone back you into a corner."
A slow, fierce smile broke across Luca’s face—a smile that reached all the way to his dark eyes, transforming the feared mafia boss into a man completely undone by the woman standing before him.
