The porcelain cup trembled in Elena Cruz’s hands before it ever touched the mahogany desk.

The massive armored SUV blasted through the shattered front entrance of the Reyes mansion like a missile, destroying the remaining double doors and plowing directly into the foyer.

The vehicle crushed two of Vance’s mercenaries against the grand marble staircase, sending the rest scattering in blinding panic amidst glass and plaster dust.

Before the dust could even settle, the driver’s side door kicked open.

Damian Reyes emerged like the angel of death.

His pistol fired three times in rapid, terrifying succession. Three mercenaries dropped before they could even level their rifles. Moving with lethal, fluid precision, Damian advanced through the smoke-filled hall, each shot finding its mark with surgical finality.

“Reyes!” a voice screeched from the top of the mezzanine.

Damian looked up. Marcus Vance stood on the balcony, his carbon-fiber braces gleaming under the chandelier, clutching young Sofia by her hair, holding the barrel of his revolver against the trembling child’s temple.

Elena leaped from the SUV, screaming in raw horror: “Sofia!”

“Shut up!” Vance bellowed, backing toward the high terrace window. “Shut your mouth or I blow her head off right now! Drop the gun, Reyes! Drop it or she dies!”

Damian stood perfectly still amidst the carnage of his foyer. Rain whipped through the broken doors behind him, plaster dust settling on his tailored tuxedo. He slowly raised his hands, letting the pistol dangle from his index finger.

“You won, Marcus,” Damian said, his voice terrifyingly calm, devoid of any tremble. “Let the child go. Your quarrel is with me.”

“You ruined me!” Vance spat, spit flying from his lips. “You took my money, you took my reputation, you broke my fucking bones! I’m going to kill this little cripple, then I’m going to kill your little whore, and then Moretti is going to take everything you own!”

Underneath Vance’s arm, Sofia caught Elena’s tear-streaked eyes.

Elena remembered what Damian had told her in the library: *You don't run from monsters. You make them regret coming into the light.*

“Sofia!” Elena screamed with sudden, fierce strength. “The brace! Kick his knee!”

Sofia didn't hesitate. With all the strength in her small twelve-year-old body, she drove her heel directly down into Vance’s kneecap.

Vance shrieked in pain, his grip slipping for a fraction of a second.

A fraction of a second was all Damian Reyes had ever needed.

Damian whipped the pistol up, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

The bullet struck Vance squarely between his eyes. The gun flew from Vance’s limp hand, his eyes rolling back as his lifeless body crashed through the stained-glass terrace window, plummeting three stories down into the stone courtyard below.

Silence descended over the ruined mansion.

Sofia broke into a sprint down the stairs, throwing herself into Elena’s open arms. The two sisters collapsed onto the floor, clutching each other, weeping in overwhelming relief.

Damian walked slowly over to them. He knelt down, wrapping his powerful arms around both women, shielding them from the cold rain blowing in through the shattered doors.