Chapter 1 - The Awakening
Gabriel stared at the sleeping woman with a mixture of absolute awe and terrifying anger.
Marco sighed heavily and rubbed the dark, swelling bruise beneath his right eye.
"She hit a concrete pillar while ramming the wooden barricade at the warehouse," Marco explained quietly.
"The airbags deployed, but she used her own body to shield the baby from the impact."
Gabriel carefully reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair away from Mia's bruised forehead.
Her eyes suddenly snapped open.
They were not the eyes of a terrified, helpless accountant waking up from a nightmare.
They were sharp, calculating, and instantly scanning the room for potential weapons.
She pulled the sleeping baby tighter against her chest and kicked her heavy boot toward Gabriel's knee.
Gabriel caught her ankle with effortless speed, raising his free hand in a gesture of absolute surrender.
"It is me, Mia," Gabriel whispered in a voice he usually reserved only for mourning widows.
Mia blinked, the heavy fog of adrenaline and exhaustion slowly clearing from her panicked gaze.
She looked down at the soft, warm bundle in her arms and let out a broken, shuddering breath.
"Sterling's men did not hurt him, Mr. Romano," she said, her voice raspy from smoke and screaming.
Gabriel gently scooped his infant nephew from her tired arms, cradling the boy with a fierce, protective grace.
"You saved my family tonight, Mia, and I will never forget it," Gabriel promised softly.
Before Mia could respond, the heavy steel door of the safe room rattled violently on its titanium hinges.
A blinding red emergency light began spinning rapidly on the ceiling, bathing the room in a bloody glow.
Marco immediately drew his weapon and backed away from the reinforced entrance.
"The silent alarm just tripped on the outer perimeter," Marco stated, his voice completely devoid of fear.
"Sterling did not just send a hit squad to the warehouse."
May you like
Gabriel handed the sleeping baby back to Mia and pulled a sleek, black pistol from his shoulder holster.
"He followed you home," Gabriel said as the sound of heavily armed men breaching the front door echoed through the walls.
