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The neon sign outside Bella Rosa Trattoria hummed softly against the wet pavement as Pamela packed her worn leather purse. The silver-embossed card in her apron pocket felt like a piece of burning coal against her thigh. / Chapter 5 / 8

Chapter 5 - The Siege of Lake Forest

"They're early," Roman said calmly, reaching into his desk drawer and pulling out a heavy black sidearm, racking the slide with a crisp CLACK.

"They knew Dr. Vance was running the DNA test," Donovan reported, checking the tactical feed on his tablet. "They tapped the doctor's mobile lab frequency. They know Pamela is here."

Pamela ran to the floor window. Tactical officers in black armor were spilling across the lawn, weapons aimed at the front entrance.

"My babies!" Pamela screamed, turning toward the stairs. "I won't let them take my babies!"

Roman grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Listen to me, Pamela. If those agents take those children tonight, you will never see them again. They will be classified as federal evidence, placed into sealed state custody, and used to destroy everything I own. Do you trust me?"

Pamela looked at the man she had feared just four hours ago. She saw no mob boss in his eyes now—she saw a father who would tear the city down to protect the children in the nursery upstairs.

"I trust you," she whispered.

"Donovan, execute Protocol Zero," Roman ordered.

"Boss, Protocol Zero will incinerate the server rooms," Donovan warned. "You'll lose tens of millions in financial records!"

"Burn it all," Roman commanded. "Every byte. Leave them nothing."

Roman grabbed Pamela’s hand and pulled her up the stairs to the third-floor nursery. The triplets were wide awake, terrified by the loud sound of sirens and flashing lights through the blackout curtains.

Leo held his sister Sofia, while Julian stood at the edge of the crib, beating his small fists against the wooden rail.

"Mom!" Julian cried out as Pamela rushed into the room.

"I'm here, baby! I'm here!" Pamela gathered all three into her arms, weeping openly as she pressed her face against their soft hair. She didn't care about the guns outside. She didn't care about the FBI. She had her children in her arms for the first time in her life, and she would die before letting go.

Roman pressed a hidden panel behind a bookshelf in the nursery. The wall slid open with a quiet hydraulic hiss, revealing a dark concrete staircase leading down into the subterranean foundation of the estate.

"A escape tunnel," Roman said, ushering her inside. "It leads to a boat launch on Lake Michigan three hundred yards away. Donovan is waiting with the speedboat."

BOOM!

The heavy front doors of the mansion were blown off their hinges by a breaching charge downstairs. Gunfire echoed through the marble foyer as Roman’s security team traded shots with the invading federal team.

"Go!" Roman shoved Pamela into the secret passage.

"Are you coming?!" Pamela shrieked, clutching the three babies against her chest.

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I stepped past the door frame, my leather shoes clicking softly against the linoleum floor.

I stepped past the door frame, my leather shoes clicking softly against...

The screech of the chopper’s rotor blades vibrated directly through the freezing slate beneath my spine. The blinding white vortex of snow kicked up by the downdraft burned my eyes, but I forced my lids open, locking my gaze onto the amber visor of the rescue specialist dropping out of the sky.

The screech of the chopper’s rotor blades vibrated directly through the...

Daniel stepped toward the bed, his polished leather shoes squeaking against the pristine hospital linoleum. He reached for the tray table, his fingers brushing the edge of the papers. His voice was low, coated in a practiced, corporate calm that made my stomach churn worse than the spiked blood pressure.

Daniel stepped toward the bed, his polished leather shoes squeaking agai...

Roman smiled—a sharp, deadly smile that sent shivers down her spine. "I have a meeting with an FBI agent, Pamela. I'll meet you at the pier."

He pulled the wall shut, sealing her in the dark.

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