THE MAFIA BOSS NEVER HAD CHILDREN — UNTIL A POOR LITTLE GIRL SAID, “YOU’RE MY DAD.”

The first strike didn't happen at the estate. It happened in the heart of the city, under the blinding lights of midtown Manhattan.

Dominic needed to attend a mandatory sit-down with the Commission, a meeting he couldn't miss without showing weakness. He left Isabella at the estate with twenty heavily armed men and Marco at the helm. He took his armored SUV and a three-car convoy.

The rain was coming down in sheets, blurring the neon lights of the city. As his convoy crossed an intersection in Hell's Kitchen, a garbage truck suddenly pulled out from an alley, moving with unnatural speed.

"Brace!" the driver yelled.

The truck slammed into the lead car of Dominic's convoy, crushing the engine block and sending it spinning into a storefront. Instantly, the street erupted into chaos. Four black sedans boxed in Dominic's SUV. Men in tactical masks poured out, raising automatic weapons.

The Romanos.

"Gun it!" Dominic roared, drawing his customized 1911 from his shoulder holster.

Bullets rained against the bulletproof glass, spider-webbing the windows. The driver threw the SUV into reverse, smashing into the sedan behind them, clearing a path. Dominic kicked his door open just enough to fire a rapid succession of shots, dropping two Romano soldiers in the street.

"Get us out of here!" Dominic commanded, slamming a fresh magazine into his weapon.

The driver navigated the burning wreckage, tearing down a side street. Sirens began to wail in the distance. Dominic sat back in the leather seat, his heart pounding a violent rhythm against his ribs. He wasn't afraid of dying. He had made peace with death a long time ago.

But as he looked at the blood on his knuckles, a terrifying thought seized him. If they hit me here, where else are they hitting?

He pulled out his phone, his hands shaking for the first time in a decade, and dialed Marco.

"Marco. Status."

"Estate is secure, Boss," Marco's calm voice came through. "We heard about the hit on the scanner. Isabella is safe. She's asleep."

Dominic closed his eyes, exhaling a ragged breath. "Double the guard. I'm coming home. And Marco?"