Chapter 1 - The Blood of a King
The heavy oak doors of the library shuddered violently under the rain of bullets.
Wood splinters flew across the room and scattered over the expensive Persian rug.
I pulled our crying baby tightly against my chest to shield him with my own body.
Adrian remained frozen in his wheelchair as he stared at the silver ring in my trembling hand.
The terrifying mafia boss was suddenly reduced to a haunted boy staring at a ghost.
His eyes darted from the Romano crest to my face as the horrific truth settled between us.
My father had sacrificed everything to save his life all those years ago.
Before he could speak, another deafening blast shook the walls of the mansion.
I grabbed the handles of his wheelchair and shoved him toward the hidden passage behind the bookshelves.
We plunged into the damp darkness of the secret tunnel just as the library doors finally gave way.
The sound of heavy combat boots echoed from the room we had just escaped.
I clicked on a small flashlight and guided the wheelchair over the uneven stone floor.
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.
I had spent weeks playing the role of a desperate surrogate mother.
Now, I was forced to remember the survival skills my father had taught me before his murder.
Adrian reached out and grabbed my wrist with surprising strength.
His dark eyes were filled with a chaotic storm of guilt and rage.
He told me he had spent his entire life hunting the people who killed his savior.
I wiped a tear from my cheek and told him we had to survive tonight before we could discuss the past.
We reached the end of the tunnel and pushed open the heavy iron grate leading to the underground garage.
I expected to find the area swarming with enemy mercenaries.
Instead, the garage was dead silent.
A single black armored SUV was parked near the exit with its engine running.
Adrian sighed in relief and told me his head of security must have prepared the escape vehicle.
A tall figure stepped out of the shadows and raised a silenced pistol.
It was Leo, the bodyguard who had sworn a blood oath to protect the Moretti family.
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Leo smiled coldly and aimed the barrel directly at my baby's head.
He whispered that the bounty on the last Romano heir was too high to ignore.
