Chapter 2 - The Blood on the Floor
The blast threw Tessa backward against the office desk.
Glass rained down like deadly confetti in the dim lighting of the service corridor.
Mateo was on top of her before she even realized she had fallen.
His heavy frame shielded her from the barrage of bullets ripping through the thin drywall.
Screams echoed from the main dining room.
Salvatore had already dropped to one knee, a silver handgun magically appearing in his weathered grip.
The old man fired twice into the hallway, his face an emotionless mask of pure violence.
"Stay down," Mateo growled near Tessa's ear.
He pulled a weapon from his own shoulder holster, his gray eyes scanning the shattered doorway.
Tessa's nursing instincts kicked in as she noticed a dark stain spreading on Mateo's white shirt.
"You're bleeding," she whispered, her hands shaking.
Mateo didn't even look down at the graze on his ribcage.
"It is not mine," he lied smoothly.
The gunfire abruptly ceased, leaving a ringing silence that felt heavier than the noise.
Footsteps crunched over broken glass in the corridor.
"Check the back," a harsh voice ordered in heavily accented English.
Mateo locked eyes with his father.
Salvatore nodded once, a silent communication built on decades of survival.
Mateo grabbed Tessa by the wrist and hauled her to her feet.
"We are leaving through the kitchen," he commanded.
"My manager," Tessa protested, looking toward the door.
"Your manager is the one who let them in," Mateo said coldly.
Tessa stumbled as Mateo dragged her down the secondary service hallway.
They burst into the kitchen, which was completely abandoned.
Pots were still boiling on the stoves, filling the air with the scent of garlic and panic.
Mateo kicked open the alley door, pulling her into the freezing Chicago rain.
A black SUV was waiting with the engine running.
The driver kicked the door open for them.
Mateo shoved Tessa inside and climbed in after her, barking an address to the driver.
Tessa huddled against the leather seat, her heart threatening to break through her ribs.
"Who were they?" she gasped.
"The past," Mateo replied, reloading his weapon with mechanical precision.
"Why are they shooting at me?" she demanded.
Mateo finally looked at her, his expression unreadable in the passing streetlights.
"They weren't shooting at you, Tessa."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"They were making sure you didn't leave that restaurant alive."
Tessa shook her head, unable to process the nightmare she had just woken up in.
"I am just a waitressing nursing student."
"You are the bloodline of Elisabetta Caruso," Mateo corrected her.
The SUV took a sharp turn, tires squealing against the wet asphalt.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"To get your things from your apartment before they realize we escaped."
They pulled up to her small, run-down apartment building ten minutes later.
Mateo told the driver to keep the engine running while he escorted her up the stairs.
The hallway on the third floor was deathly quiet.
Tessa reached for her keys, but her hand froze inches from the lock.
Her front door was already cracked open.
The wood around the deadbolt was splintered and destroyed.
Mateo pushed her behind him, raising his gun as he kicked the door wide.
The apartment had been entirely torn apart.
Cushions were sliced open, books were thrown across the floor, and her mattress was flipped.
"They beat us here," Mateo observed coldly.
Tessa rushed toward her bedroom, her chest heaving with panic.
"What are you looking for?" Mateo demanded, following close behind.
Tessa fell to her knees beside a broken floorboard under her radiator.
She reached her hand into the dark hollow space and let out a strangled breath.
Mateo crouched beside her.
"What did they take?"
Tessa looked at him, her eyes wide with absolute terror.
"They didn't take anything," she whispered.
She pulled her hand out of the hiding spot to reveal a small, rusted iron lockbox.
"But they left this."
Mateo stared at the blood smeared across the top of the box.
May you like
Written in the fresh blood was a single word.
Giancarlo.
