# THE HIDDEN CLAUSE

The ambush happened faster than I could process.

We were leaving the municipal building downtown. Vincent had his hand on the small of my back, guiding me toward the armored SUV. Marcus was walking point.

Suddenly, a black van screeched to a halt at the intersection. The side door slid open.

"Get down!" Marcus roared, drawing his weapon.

Vincent tackled me to the concrete just as the deafening crack of automatic gunfire echoed off the marble columns of the courthouse. The world shattered into chaos. Glass rained down around us as the SUV's windows blew out.

Vincent shielded my body entirely with his own. "Are you hit?" he shouted over the noise.

"No!" I gasped, my ears ringing violently.

Marcus and two other Marino guards returned fire, a precise, overwhelming barrage that forced the van to peel away, tires smoking against the asphalt. Sirens began wailing in the distance.

Vincent pulled me to my feet, his grip bruisingly tight. His silver eyes were wild with a terrifying rage. "Into the secondary car. Now."

When we got back to the estate, the atmosphere had shifted from defensive to warlike. The drawing room was filled with men I had never seen before—captains of Vincent's organization. They spoke in hushed, violent tones.

Grant had crossed the ultimate line. By partnering with Kingsley and attempting a daylight hit, he had declared open street war in Philadelphia.

"They missed the mother," I heard one of the men say as I stood frozen in the doorway. "Kingsley is desperate. They're going to go for the kid next."

My heart stopped. Lily.

I ran upstairs to her bedroom, my breath catching in my throat. She was sitting on her rug, oblivious to the bloodshed downtown, quietly drawing a picture with her crayons. When she saw me, she held it up. It was a picture of a large black dog, a smaller yellow bird, and a tiny fox.