The most feared mafia boss in New York pretended to sleep because he suspected his new maid was hiding something from him. But instead of catching her stealing or betraying him, I felt her little daughter cover me with a blanket and whisper six words that shattered the one belief keeping me alive.

Gunfire erupted, shattering the ancient headstones all around us. Marble chips flew through the air like deadly shrapnel. I pulled Maria and Sofia tightly against my chest, using the stone angel as our only cover. I returned fire, dropping three of Moretti's men who tried to flank us. But we were vastly outnumbered and entirely outgunned. I checked my magazine and realized I only had four bullets left. "We cannot win this fight," I told Maria over the deafening roar of the guns. I looked deeply into her terrified, beautiful eyes. Despite her lies, I knew she loved her daughter more than life itself. And in that moment, I realized I loved them both. "I am going to surrender to them," I said calmly. Maria grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin. "No, Daniel, they will torture you to death," she pleaded, crying openly. "When they take me, they will stop shooting," I explained rapidly. "You use the distraction to run into the crypts and escape through the maintenance tunnels." Before she could argue, I stood up from behind the statue. I threw my empty pistol onto the grass and raised my hands high into the air. "Cease fire!" Moretti shouted, holding his hand up. The deafening noise of the guns abruptly stopped, leaving a heavy, ringing silence. "I will give you the drive and myself, but you let them go," I demanded. Moretti smiled wickedly and gestured for his men to approach me. Two massive thugs grabbed my arms and forced me to my knees. They kicked me brutally in the ribs, knocking the wind out of my lungs. Moretti walked over and snatched the hard drive from my pocket. "You always were a fool for loyalty, Daniel," Moretti sneered. He looked toward the statue, expecting to see Maria and Sofia cowering there. But the space behind the weeping angel was completely empty. Maria had followed my orders and vanished into the shadows with her daughter. Moretti's face twisted into an ugly mask of pure rage. "Put him in the van," Moretti ordered his men. "We will break every bone in his body until he tells us where they went." I smiled through my bloody teeth as they dragged me away. I had finally done something truly good with my miserable life.