Chapter 4 - The Midnight Escape
The world completely stopped spinning as I stared at the needle pressing into my baby's delicate skin.
"Let her go, Isabella," Adrian commanded, his gun aimed perfectly at his sister's forehead.
"You know I will not hesitate."
Isabella's hand was shaking violently, and tears of absolute desperation streamed down her face.
"The Falcones gave me a choice, Adrian!" she screamed hysterically.
"They said they would wipe out our entire bloodline if I didn't help them take out Mother!"
Adrian didn't lower his weapon even a single inch.
"You betrayed our family for the men who killed our father," he said, his voice dripping with venom.
I knew I couldn't just wait for a mafia shootout to decide my daughter's fate.
I quietly grabbed a heavy crystal vase from the nightstand while brother and sister stared each other down.
I smashed the vase directly over the back of Isabella's head with a sickening crunch.
She collapsed instantly, dropping the syringe harmlessly onto the thick carpet.
I snatched Mia up into my arms, sobbing as I checked her neck for any scratches.
"We have to leave right now," Adrian said urgently, grabbing my arm and pulling us out into the hallway.
"The Falcone men are already breaching the perimeter gates to extract her."
He dragged us down a hidden servant's staircase that smelled of damp earth and old stone.
We emerged into the massive, sprawling gardens behind the mansion.
The freezing November wind whipped against us, and I clutched Mia tightly to my chest.
"My car is parked just beyond the hedge maze," Adrian whispered, leading the way with his gun drawn.
We were halfway across the lawn when a blinding spotlight suddenly illuminated us from the darkness.
Five men in tactical gear stepped out from the shadows, all aiming automatic rifles directly at our chests.
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The man in the center smiled, lowering his weapon just enough to reveal a familiar face.
It was the driver of the black sedan we had seen on the Manhattan sidewalk.
