Chapter 4 - BLOOD ON THE MARBLE
The screams below echoed like a nightmare. Clara huddled in the marble bathtub, her body shielding Toby and Bella. The twins were shaking, clutching her shirt.
"Is it the bad men?" Toby whispered, tears streaking his dirt-smudged face. "The ones who took Mommy?"
Clara’s heart stopped. Took Mommy.
Before she could answer, the bathroom door exploded inward. Wood splintered everywhere. A man in a ski mask stepped through the smoke, a suppressed pistol in his hand. He looked at Clara, then at the twins.
"Jackpot," the masked man grunted, raising his gun.
Clara screamed, launching herself out of the tub. She didn't have a weapon, only a heavy glass bottle of expensive bath oils. She swung it with all her might, smashing it across the intruder's temple. The man roared, backhanding Clara so hard she flew across the room, hitting the tiles with a sickening crack.
Her vision blurred. The man aimed at Toby.
Suddenly, a shadow filled the doorway.
Julian Calveti didn't shout. He didn't hesitate. He raised a silver handgun and fired two shots. The masked man dropped dead on the tiles.
Julian was covered in soot, his eyes wide and wild. He looked at the dead man, then at his terrified children in the tub, and finally at Clara, who was bleeding from her temple, gasping for air on the floor.
He crossed the room in two strides, falling to his knees beside her. For the first time, the cold Mafia boss looked entirely human. "You fought him," Julian breathed, staring at the shattered glass and her bruised face. "You fought a hitman with a perfume bottle."
"Are they... are they safe?" Clara choked out.
May you like
Julian looked at his children, who were looking at Clara with absolute awe. "They are," Julian said softly. He scooped Clara into his arms as easily as if she weighed nothing. "Let's get you patched up, wildcat."
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