At 9:17 on a rain-soaked Tuesday night, Aleandro Vitali ordered his dog out of the kitchen for the third time.

The sound of three heavy black SUVs roaring down the brick driveway echoed through the main courtyard before fading into the sound of the rain.

Aleandro was gone.

The estate felt vast, empty, and terrifyingly fragile. Outside, forty armed security guards patrolled the iron gates and perimeter fences, but inside the main house, the air felt thick with unseen threat.

Hannah stood in the middle of the dark kitchen, the heavy brass keys heavy in her apron pocket. Maximus sat beside her like a silent gargoyle, his dark eyes fixed on the double doors leading to the main foyer.

Click.

The handle turned.

Hannah’s heart slammed against her ribs. She reached out, grabbing a heavy iron skillet from the hanging rack over the island, holding it low behind her leg.

Gabriel Moretti walked into the kitchen.

He had shed his drenched suit jacket, wearing only his dark holster and a crisp white shirt rolled up to his elbows. He looked calm, but his eyes were darting around the room, instantly registering that Aleandro was no longer there.

"Where is Aleandro?" Gabriel asked, his voice clipped.

"He was called away," Hannah said smoothly, keeping her tone light and submissive. "A business matter in Milwaukee."

Gabriel stopped ten feet away. A slow, unsettling smile spread across his face. "Milwaukee. Right. The dock incident."

"He asked me to finish scrubbing the counters before I leave," Hannah lied, taking a slow step back toward the open utility shaft.

Gabriel’s eyes dropped to the floor where the tiles had been removed. "He left you alone in here with an open security breach?"

"He told me to wait for the maintenance crew," Hannah said.

Gabriel walked closer. Maximus released a low, vibrating growl from his chest, his upper lip pulling back slightly to expose white teeth. Gabriel stopped, his eyes darkening as he glared at the dog.

"That animal should have been put down two years ago," Gabriel muttered under his breath. He looked back at Hannah. "Miss Collins, you're a mother, right? An eight-year-old girl named Lily?"

Cold terror swept through Hannah’s veins, turning her blood to ice. "How do you know my daughter's name?"

"I manage security for the Vitali family," Gabriel said, taking another half-step forward. "I know the names, school schedules, and home addresses of everyone who touches Aleandro’s floor. Lily goes to Saint Jude’s, doesn't she? Room 204. Mrs. Gable's class."

Hannah tightened her grip on the iron skillet until her knuckles turned white. "If you touch my daughter—"

"I don't care about your daughter," Gabriel interrupted coldly. "I care about what’s down that hole. Move away from the opening, Hannah."

"Aleandro said—"

"Aleandro isn't here!" Gabriel snapped, his hand moving toward his hip holster. "Aleandro is currently driving into a three-way ambush on Interstate 94 that my associates set up twenty minutes ago! By midnight, the Vitali syndicate will have a new boss, and I will be running Chicago!"

Maximus didn't wait for a command.

The Cane Corso exploded forward with blinding speed. Ninety pounds of muscle and teeth launched across the marble floor straight at Gabriel's throat.

Gabriel cursed, drawing his pistol and firing blind—BANG!

The gunshot roared through the high-ceilinged room like a cannon blast. The bullet grazed Maximus’s side, sending the dog tumbling across the slick floor with a pained yelp.

"Max!" Hannah screamed.

Gabriel aimed his gun down at the struggling dog to finish him off.

Hannah didn't think. Instinct took over. She swung the heavy cast-iron skillet with all her strength, striking Gabriel square across the side of his head.

The heavy iron hit with a sickening crunch. Gabriel stumbled sideways, his pistol slipping from his fingers and clattering into the open utility shaft, disappearing into the blackness below.

Gabriel groaned, clutching his bleeding temple, his eyes wild with rage as he glared at Hannah. "You stupid bitch—"