THE THRESHOLD OF VENGEANCE

The pantry was pitch black and freezing cold. The sound of the gunfire outside was muffled by six inches of reinforced steel, but the echo of my harsh breathing filled the small space.

"Mr. Moretti!" Anna cried out in the darkness. "You're bleeding! Oh God, you're shot!"

"I'm fine," I gritted out, sliding down the cold wall until I hit the floor. I let go of Lily, letting Anna pull her daughter into her arms. I reached up and pressed my right hand against the wound on my left shoulder. The blood was hot, soaking through my jacket, but it was a through-and-through. Painful, but not lethal.

"It hurts," Lily whimpered softly.

"I know, baby," Anna sobbed, rocking her. "We're safe in here."

"I'm sorry," Lily whispered, her small voice cutting through the darkness and the pain.

"Lily, no," I said, my voice ragged. I blindly reached out, finding her small hand in the dark. "You listen to me, little bird. You never apologize for being hurt. Not to a floor. Not to me. Not to anyone. Do you understand?"

I felt her small fingers squeeze mine. "Okay."

Outside, the gunfire suddenly intensified, changing rhythm. The heavy, booming cracks of Silas's tactical team echoed through the steel. The cavalry had arrived. The muffled shouts of the Russo men turned into screams of panic as my syndicate closed the trap Evelyn had unwittingly helped me set.

For ten minutes, we sat in the freezing darkness. I bled, Anna prayed, and Lily held my hand.

Finally, the gunfire stopped completely. A heavy silence fell over the house. Then, three sharp knocks on the steel door.

"Boss. It's Silas. It's clear."

Anna hesitated, but I managed to stand, my left arm hanging uselessly at my side. I unlatched the door and pushed it open.

The kitchen was a slaughterhouse. Bullet holes riddled the beautiful oak cabinets. The marble floors were slick with blood and covered in shattered glass. Five Russo soldiers lay dead on the floor. My men were securing the perimeter, their weapons lowered.

Silas rushed over, his eyes dropping to my bleeding shoulder. "Get the medic down here! Now!"

"I'm fine," I growled, waving him off. "Did we get them all?"

"Every last one. The breach is contained." Silas looked past me to Anna and Lily, his hard expression softening for a fraction of a second. "They're safe."

"Where is Evelyn?" I asked, my voice cold as the grave.

"Still locked in the east wing."

"Good." I turned to Anna. Her apron was covered in my blood, but she was unharmed. Lily was clinging to her neck, staring at the destruction. "Silas. Take Anna and Lily to my private penthouse downtown. Take ten men. Nobody gets within a mile of them."

"Mr. Moretti," Anna said, her voice shaking. "What are you going to do?"

I looked at the shattered kitchen, at the broken threshold where a little girl had scraped her knee because of a traitor's greed.