Chapter 5 - The Breach
"Stay here!" Alessandro commanded instantly, pulling a sleek black semi-automatic pistol from a hidden holster beneath his sweater.
"Alessandro!" Rosa cried out, grabbing his arm, her eyes wide with terror.
"Lock the door behind me! Do not open it for anyone!" he barked, slipping out into the hallway as Vance ran up the corridor, his weapon drawn.
"Report!" Alessandro demanded as they sprinted toward the central security room.
"Sensors on the southern perimeter wall were cut three minutes ago, Boss!" Vance shouted over the blaring alarm. "Thermal cameras picked up four armed figures moving through the thick woods near the old boathouse! They're already on the grounds!"
"Romano's men?" Alessandro asked, his eyes turning cold and lethal.
"Looks like a hit squad," Vance replied grimly. "Vincent didn't even wait till nightfall to send his clean-up crew. They used a quiet boat off the Hudson River to bypass the main front gates."
"Kill them all," Alessandro ordered without a second of hesitation. "No prisoners. Send a message to Chicago."
Down in the east wing, Rosa threw the deadbolt, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. The blaring alarm chimed incessantly, painting the elegant velvet room in rhythmic flashes of crimson light.
Lily had stopped playing. The little girl was standing near the fireplace, clutching her soft plush bear tightly against her chest, her dark eyes wide with confusion and fear.
"Mommy?" Lily whimpered, her tiny voice trembling. "Is it a storm?"
Rosa rushed over, scooping Lily up into her arms and holding her close, kissing her forehead frantically. "Yes, sweetie. Just a little thunder. It's okay. Mommy's here. Gold button man is taking care of it."
Suddenly, the heavy glass window of the balcony shattered outward with a violent crash.
Cold night air surged into the room, bringing with it the smell of gunpowder and burning metal. A dark figure dressed in black tactical gear swung through the broken window, rolling onto the plush rug, a suppressed pistol raised and aimed straight at Rosa.
Rosa let out a blood-curdling scream, instinctively twisting her body to cover Lily with her own frame.
"Don't move, maid," a rough, masked voice growled from behind the tactical helmet. "Vincent Romano sends his regards."
The assassin leveled his gun directly at the back of Rosa’s head.
Before his finger could squeeze the trigger, the heavy oak door of the suite was blown off its hinges with a deafening kick.
Alessandro charged into the room like an unleashed demon. He didn't even pause to aim; he fired three round in rapid succession.
The three heavy gunshots echoed like thunder in the enclosed room.
The assassin was lifted off his feet by the sheer force of the heavy caliber rounds, his body crashing backward through the broken balcony railing, falling two stories down into the stone courtyard below.
Silence descended back upon the room, save for the howling wind blowing through the shattered window.
Alessandro sprinted across the room, dropping his weapon and pulling Rosa and Lily into his massive arms. He held them so tightly Rosa could feel the wild, furious beat of his heart against his chest.
"Are you hit?!" Alessandro roared in panic, inspecting Rosa’s back, her shoulders, her arms. "Rosa! Speak to me! Are you hurt?!"
"I'm... I'm okay," Rosa sobbed, tears streaming down her face as she clutched Lily, who had buried her face into Alessandro's shoulder, weeping loudly. "We're okay... you came... you came for us."
Alessandro pulled them tighter, pressing his lips against Rosa’s temple, then against Lily’s soft hair, his whole body shaking with a rare, terrifying emotion—fear. The realization that he had almost lost them sent a wave of icy fury through his soul.
Vance stepped into the room, holding a radio, his expression pale as he took in the scene. "The other three infiltrators have been eliminated near the boathouse, Boss. The perimeter is clear."
Alessandro stood up slowly, lifting Lily effortlessly with one arm while wrapping his other arm securely around Rosa’s waist. His face was no longer that of a man; it was the face of a terrifying god of vengeance.
"Vance," Alessandro said, his voice dropping into a quiet, chilling whisper that made the hair on the back of Vance's neck stand up.
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"Yes, Boss?"
"Prepare the helicopter," Alessandro commanded, looking down at his daughter and the woman he loved. "We are going to Chicago tonight. It's time to end the Romano family once and for all."
