Chapter 6 - Blood on the Marble
The night air outside the Moretti estate turned violent as a heavy thunderstorm rolled over the Westchester hills. Flash lighting illuminated the dark sky, followed by deafening cracks of thunder that shook the glass windows.
Inside the third-floor medical suite, Elena carefully wrapped sterile white gauze around Aleandro’s shoulder.
He sat shirtless on the edge of the examination table, his powerful chest covered in battle scars, his jaw set in a tight line. He didn't flinch once as Elena secured the bandage, though her hands were still trembling from the lingering terror of the alleyway attack.
"It was Carmine's men," Elena whispered, setting the medical scissors down on the stainless-steel tray. "He was testing us."
"He was," Aleandro grunted, standing up and pulling a clean black shirt over his head. "And he got his answer. He knows I will burn this city down before I let anyone touch you."
"Aleandro..." Elena looked up at him, her hazel eyes filled with a terrifying mix of fear and growing affection. "This war... it's escalating because of me. If I take Mia and leave New York—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Aleandro stepped forward, framing her face with both of his large hands. The power radiating from him was absolute, yet his touch was impossibly gentle.
"Listen to me, Elena," he said fiercely. "You and Mia are not a liability. You are my family now. Do you understand me? You don't run. You stay right here, behind my shield."
Elena looked into his intense grey eyes, feeling her heart shatter and reform all at once. For two years, she had carried the burden of the world entirely alone—paying debts, raising Mia, weeping in silence behind closed doors. Now, this ruthless mafia king was standing in front of her, willing to bleed just to keep her safe.
"Why?" she choked out, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Why us?"
Aleandro brushed the tear away with his thumb, his gaze softening into pure devotion. "Because before you came into this house, I was just a ghost breathing in an empty castle. You brought life back into these walls. Your daughter taught me how to smile again. And you... you taught me what it means to care for something more than power."
He leaned down, his forehead resting gently against hers.
"I love you, Elena," he whispered into the small space between their lips. "It wasn't a fake engagement to me. Not for a single second."
Elena’s heart leaped into her throat. She closed her eyes, letting out a soft sigh, and pressed her lips against his.
The kiss started soft, filled with months of unspoken tension, before turning deep, possessive, and electric. Aleandro’s arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his solid body, holding her as if she were the only thing keeping him anchored to the earth.
Suddenly, the lights in the estate flickered... and plunged into total darkness.
The red emergency backup lights instantly clicked on, casting a bloody glow down the hallways.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sharp sound of heavy automatic gunfire echoed from the ground floor, followed by the shattering of grand glass windows!
"Boss!" Marco’s voice screamed over the intercom system. "The perimeter fence has been breached! Valenti’s main force hit the front gates! They cut the main power lines! We have twenty armed hostiles inside the main hall!"
Carmine Valenti had launched an all-out suicide assault on the estate.
Aleandro pulled back from the kiss, his eyes instantly turning back into liquid ice. He reached into the bedside drawer, pulling out two heavy tactical pistols and handing a smaller concealed handgun to Elena.
"Take this," Aleandro ordered smoothly. "Do you remember how to use it?"
"Julian taught me the basics," Elena panted, her grip tightening around the handle. "Where is Mia?!"
"She’s in the panic room behind my study," Aleandro said, grabbing her hand and leading her rapidly out into the hallway. "That room is reinforced with six-inch steel. Nobody gets through."
They sprinted down the dark corridor as the sounds of battle roared below them. Moretti guards were exchanging heavy gunfire with Valenti’s hitmen in the grand foyer.
They reached the door of the study just as three armed hitmen in dark tactical gear rounded the corner of the hallway!
"There he is! Kill the Don!" one of the hitmen yelled, raising his submachine gun.
"Get inside!" Aleandro shoved Elena into the study, spinning around to face the attackers.
Aleandro raised both pistols, firing five rapid shots with terrifying, lethal precision. Two of the hitmen dropped instantly to the carpet. But the third hitman lunged forward, tackling Aleandro against the heavy mahogany desk!
The gun flew from Aleandro’s hand, sliding across the floor.
The hitman pressed his weight against Aleandro’s injured shoulder, driving a long tactical knife down toward Aleandro’s throat! Aleandro growled in pain, catching the hitman’s wrist with his left hand, fighting off the blade inches from his neck as his shoulder wound re-opened, blood soaking through his black shirt.
"Die, Moretti!" the hitman snarled.
BANG!
A loud gunshot echoed through the study.
The hitman froze, his eyes widening in shock. A small red hole appeared in the center of his chest. He collapsed sideways onto the floor, motionless.
Behind him stood Elena, holding the small handgun with both hands, smoke curling from the barrel. Her face was deathly pale, her eyes wide, but her hands were rock solid.
Aleandro gasped for air, pushing the body off himself. He stood up, looking at Elena with immense pride and fierce awe.
"Nice shot, mia cara," he rasped, wiping blood from his lip.
Before Elena could speak, the wall panel of the study slid open, and little Mia popped her head out of the hidden panic room, clutching Mr. Bunny.
"Mommy? Mr. Aleandro?" Mia asked, looking at the broken lamps and messy room. "Is the loud thunder gone?"
May you like
Aleandro walked over, scooping Mia up in his uninjured arm, pulling Elena tight against his side with the other.
"The thunder is almost over, little princess," Aleandro said quietly, his eyes dark with ultimate retribution. "Stay in the safe room with Mommy for ten minutes. I have to go finish the storm."
