Chapter 2 - THE VIPER'S NEST
The sharp click of the deadbolt echoed like a gunshot in the silent nursery. My heart hammered against my ribs, erratic and wild. The baby—little Leo—flinched against my chest, losing his latch. He let out a weak, frustrated whimper, but I instinctively cradled him closer, shielding his fragile body with my own.
Lorenzo’s gun didn’t waver, but his dark, lethal eyes darted from me to the locked oak door. The heavy mahogany barrier was designed to keep threats out of the nursery, but now, it had turned the room into a cage.
"Maya," the voice whispered again from the hallway.
The blood drained from my face. I knew that voice. It was the voice that had haunted my nightmares, the voice that had screamed at me before strong hands pushed me down a flight of stairs.
Damon.
"Who is that?" Lorenzo demanded, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that vibrated through the floorboards. He stepped closer to the door, his posture shifting from a grieving father to the apex predator of the city’s underworld.
"My ex-boyfriend," I choked out, tears of pure terror pricking my eyes. "The one... the one who killed my baby. But how is he here? How did he get past your guards?"
Lorenzo’s jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth might shatter. He looked at the sleeping nurse, still slumped in her chair, oblivious to the chaos. He crossed the room in two long strides, grabbing the half-empty wine glass. He brought it to his nose, sniffing the dark red liquid.
"Rohypnol," Lorenzo spat, his voice laced with venom. "She’s not just sleeping. She’s drugged. And she didn't drug herself."
Before he could say another word, the sound of heavy boots echoed outside the door. Damon wasn't alone. Muffled voices argued in frantic Italian—accents that belonged to Lorenzo's own men. The horrifying truth settled over us like a suffocating blanket. This wasn’t just a break-in. It was a coup. Someone inside the Rossi family had opened the gates for the monsters hunting me, using them as a distraction to assassinate the heir.
"They've been starving him to weaken him," I whispered, looking down at the pale, fragile boy in my arms. "Making it look like a natural failure to thrive. And tonight... tonight they were going to finish it."
May you like
Lorenzo’s eyes met mine, and in that split second, the impenetrable Mafia boss shattered, leaving only a desperate man. "They want my bloodline erased." He racked the slide of his pistol, the metallic clack deafening. "Get in the closet. Now. Keep my son quiet, even if you have to smother your own screams."
---
