Chapter 1 - The Lockdown
Gabriel’s grip on my wrist felt like a steel vice despite his fever.
I stared down at his bloodstained fingers, barely able to process what I had just done.
Carmine moved instantly, slamming the heavy library doors shut and locking the deadbolt.
Nobody was leaving the Falcone estate tonight.
Dr. Harrison Cole backed away from the bed, his face pale and slick with terrified sweat.
"You don't understand, Gabriel," the surgeon stammered, raising his hands in surrender.
"I was forced to use those stitches."
Gabriel released my wrist and slowly propped himself up on his good elbow.
"Who forced you, Doctor?" Gabriel asked, his voice a deadly whisper that commanded the entire room.
Cole looked wildly toward the reinforced windows of the library.
"If I tell you, they will kill my family," Cole cried out.
Carmine cocked his pistol, stepping closer to the trembling doctor.
"I am going to kill you right now if you don't speak," Carmine growled.
I stood perfectly still, clutching the bloody scissors against my apron.
Cole took a deep breath, opening his mouth to reveal the name of the traitor.
Before a single word left his lips, the reinforced glass behind him shattered into a million pieces.
A high-caliber bullet tore through the surgeon's chest, throwing him backward onto the Persian rug.
Blood pooled around his lifeless body as the echo of the sniper rifle faded into the night.
Carmine tackled Gabriel to the floor, shielding the boss with his own body.
I dove behind the mahogany desk, my heart hammering violently against my ribs.
The shooter was still out there in the dark.
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And when my phone suddenly buzzed in my apron pocket, I saw a text message from an unknown number.
It simply read, "You are next."
