Chapter 4 - THE TRAP CLOSESThe darkness in the hallway wasn't natural.
Someone had just flipped the master circuit breaker for the second-floor wing from the service panel down the hall.
Leo’s bodyguards were stationed downstairs securing the perimeter and guarding the exterior exits; upstairs, it was just Leo, Beatrice, sleeping little Lily, and an intruder.
“Stay here,” Leo commanded in a low, lethal whisper.
He didn't draw a gun—he didn't need to. His hand slid beneath his heavy coat, fingers wrapping around the grip of a customized tactical combat knife tucked into his belt holster. He stepped silently toward the open nursery door, melting into the shadows like a ghost.
Beatrice held her breath, pressing herself against the wall near Lily’s bed. Her heart thundered against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Tap. Tap.
Bare feet moving softly across the polished oak flooring just outside the threshold.
Then, a sudden, blinding flash of moonlight cut through the sheer curtains as a cloud shifted outside the window.
A silhouette filled the doorway.
It was holding something heavy in one hand and a sleek, dark object in the other.
“Looking for someone, Leo?”
Victoria’s voice slithered through the dark room, dripping with toxic venom and manic glee.
Before Leo could move, Victoria raised the silenced 9mm pistol and fired.
PFFT.
The bullet splintered the wooden doorframe inches from Leo’s head, showering him in wood splinters.
Leo didn’t hesitate. He lunged forward with explosive speed, closing the distance between them in less than a second. But Victoria wasn't aiming for a shootout—she had set a trap. As Leo lunged, she sidestepped with surprising agility, swinging the heavy iron crowbar in a brutal arc aimed directly at his ribs.
The heavy steel caught Leo in the side. He grunted, stumbling slightly from the sheer momentum of the blow, the heavy coat absorbing some of the impact but not all of it.
Victoria laughed hysterically, stepping back into the dark hallway and raising the gun for a point-blank kill shot.
“You should have stayed in Miami, Leo! Now the dynasty dies with you—and your little brat!”
She pulled the trigger.
Click.
The gun jammed. The slide had caught on a stray piece of carbon buildup from a rushed reload.
Victoria cursed, slamming her palm against the slide.
It was all the time Leo needed.
He recovered his footing with terrifying speed, crossed the remaining space, and slammed his open palm against Victoria’s wrist with bone-crushing force.
The Glock flew out of her hand, clattering across the floorboards.
Before Victoria could scream, Leo grabbed her by the throat, lifting her two inches off the floor with one hand. His fingers tightened around her windpipe like a hydraulic vise.
Victoria clawed frantically at his arm, her face turning a deep, congested purple, her eyes bulging out of her skull.
“You… you can’t…” she choked out, her legs kicking uselessly in the air.
“I built this empire on blood and silence,” Leo whispered into her ear, his voice sounding like grinding tectonic plates. “And you brought both into my daughter’s room.”
He raised his free fist, pulling back to deliver a final, fatal blow.
“Mr. Rossi! No!”
Beatrice’s voice cut through the dark room like a sharp blade.
Leo froze. His fist hovered inches from Victoria’s face. He slowly turned his head to look at Beatrice, his dark eyes burning with unspent fury.
“Not here,” Beatrice said, stepping out of the shadows, her voice remarkably steady despite the terror gripping her soul. “Not where Lily can see. Don’t let her first memory of tonight be blood on the nursery floor.”
Leo stared at Beatrice for three long, agonizing seconds.
Then, slowly, his expression hardened into an even colder mask. He didn't drop Victoria—he threw her sideways into the wall with enough force to crack the drywall. Victoria crumpled to the floor, unconscious and gasping for air.
Leo turned back to Beatrice.
“Get Lily,” he ordered quietly. “We’re leaving the estate.”
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“Leaving?” Beatrice blinked, confused. “Where are we going?”
“To my primary safehouse,” Leo said, walking over to scoop Lily gently back into his arms as the little girl stirred sleepily. “Because Victoria wasn't working alone. Someone inside my own organization gave her the master keys.”
