Chapter 6 - Shadows of the Syndicate
Three days passed. The compound became a strange sanctuary.
Under Sophie’s care, baby Julian thrived. He gained weight, stopped crying uncontrollably, and began to flash tiny, involuntary newborn smiles. And slowly, the icy tension in the house began to thaw. Dominic began coming home early every night, dropping his violent world at the front door just to sit in the nursery and watch Sophie hold his nephew.
But peace in the mafia never lasted.
On a stormy Thursday evening, as Sophie was burping Julian in the upstairs nursery, a deafening blast rocked the house.
BOOM!
The floor shook violently. The crystal chandelier swung wildly, casting crazed shadows across the room. Outside, heavy automatic gunfire exploded through the rain.
Alarm sirens began to blare in dark red flashes.
Sophie gasped, pulling Julian tight against her chest and dropping to her knees. Panic surged through her veins, but her maternal instinct drowned it out.
The nursery door burst open.
Dominic lunged into the room, a sleek black pistol drawn in his right hand. His face was thunderous, his suit splattered with blood that wasn't his.
“Safe room! Now!” he barked.
He grabbed Sophie by the arm, hoisting her up, using his broad body as a human shield as he guided her down a hidden hallway behind the bookshelf.
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“Who is doing this?” Sophie cried out over the sound of breaking glass and shouting men downstairs.
“The Valenti family,” Dominic growled, punching a code into a heavy steel door. “They found out Julian had an heir. They want to end the Moretti line once and for all.”
