Chapter 6 - Night of Fire and Steel
The storm hit Manhattan at midnight.
Thunder rattled the steel structure of the penthouse, and rain lashed against the high glass windows like thrown gravel.
I woke up to the sound of a sharp, metallic click echoing down the hallway.
Instinctively, I sat up in bed, my heart racing. I threw off the covers, running straight to Mia’s crib. She was sleeping soundly, but the strange, quiet tension hanging in the air told me something was deeply wrong.
I opened the guest suite door and stepped out into the hallway.
The main drawing room lights were off, save for the emergency red strips along the baseboards. The private elevator indicator light was flashing wildly.
Suddenly, a heavy hand grabbed my arm from behind.
I opened my mouth to scream, but a large, warm palm covered my lips instantly.
"Shh," Alessandro’s voice whispered in my ear. "It’s me."
I relaxed against him, turning my head as he let go. He was dressed in black tactical clothes, a sleek silver sidearm resting in a shoulder holster across his chest.
"What's happening?" I whispered, panic rising in my throat.
"Victor made his move," Alessandro said calmly, guiding me back into the guest room toward the wall panel near the closet. He pressed a hidden biometric scanner, and a heavy steel door slid open silently, revealing a reinforced panic room fitted with monitors and emergency comms. "Carter Vance and four of Victor’s men bypassed the basement security grid using Marco’s old access codes. They're in the service elevator coming up now."
"They're inside the building?!" I gasped, clutching his arm.
"They think they are," Alessandro replied, a dark, dangerous smile touching his lips. "They think I'm asleep. They think they're coming to take you and Mia to force me into signing the harbor deeds."
He pushed me gently inside the panic room, reaching down to lift sleeping Mia from her crib and placing her securely in my arms.
"Stay inside," Alessandro commanded, reaching for the heavy steel door handle. "Lock it from the inside. Do not open it for anyone except my voice."
"Alessandro, wait!" I cried, grabbing his hand. "They're armed! Don't go out there alone!"
Alessandro looked down at our joined hands, then reached up, his long fingers cupping my jawline, tilting my face up to his.
"I’m not alone, Elena," he murmured softly. "I have everything I’m fighting for waiting in this room."
He leaned down and pressed a deep, fierce, desperate kiss against my lips. It was hot, possessive, and full of raw promise that left me breathless.
"Lock the door," he whispered against my mouth.
He stepped back, and the heavy steel door slid shut with a thundering THUD, sealing me and my daughter inside absolute safety.
On the small wall monitor inside the panic room, I watched the live security feed.
The private elevator doors burst open in the main drawing room. Four men dressed in heavy coats walked out, guns drawn, led by a tall, sleek man with a sharp jawline and arrogant eyes—Carter Vance.
"Clear the rooms!" Carter hissed on the audio feed. "Find the maid and the kid! Victor wants them in the van within five minutes!"
Suddenly, the drawing room lights slammed on in a blinding flash of brilliant white light.
Alessandro stood on the raised marble dais near his private study, holding a heavy tactical rifle, flanked by six of his elite personal security forces who stepped out from behind the velvet drapes.
"Looking for someone, Carter?" Alessandro’s voice echoed like thunder across the room.
May you like
Carter froze, his eyes widening in pure horror as he looked at the barrels trained on his chest. "Duca... how did you—"
"You thought you were the hunter," Alessandro said, taking a slow, terrifying step down the stairs. "You forgot whose city this is."
