Chapter 6 - THE MIDNIGHT VISITORThe peace, however, was designed to be shattered.
It was 2:00 AM. The penthouse was wrapped in a heavy, unnatural stillness. The digital clock on the bedside table glowed a stark neon red.
I woke up instantly. My years hiding in the shadows had trained my nervous system to react to the slightest shift in air pressure. Beside me, Alessandro was fast asleep, his breathing deep and even, his guard down for the first time in months.
I slid out of bed without making a sound, slipping my feet into a pair of silk slippers. I walked silently down the dimly lit hallway toward Emma’s nursery.
The door was cracked open just an inch.
A cold draft swept down the corridor. My heart skipped a beat. The smart-glass security windows were reinforced with triple-layer titanium mesh; they didn't just pop open.
I slipped my hand into the hidden pocket of my silk robe, gripping the compact ceramic tactical blade Alessandro had insisted I carry at all times. I pushed the nursery door open.
The room was empty.
Emma’s bed was rumpled, her favorite stuffed rabbit tossed carelessly onto the carpet. The heavy floor-to-ceiling balcony glass door—which locked automatically via biometric scanner—was standing wide open, letting the freezing autumn wind whip the sheer white curtains into a frenzy.
I rushed to the balcony ledge and looked down.
Fifty stories below, standing near the private helipad on the rooftop extension, was a figure draped in a heavy black trench coat. In their arms, wrapped tightly in a pink wool blanket, was a small, familiar form.
Emma.
"Alessandro!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, turning back toward the bedroom as adrenaline flooded my veins with liquid fire.
Before the echo of my voice could even fade, the bedroom lights flashed blindingly bright. Alessandro stood in the doorway, barefoot, wearing only dark lounge pants, a suppressed tactical pistol already materializing in his right hand like magic.
"What?" he snapped, his eyes instantly tracking the open balcony, the empty bed, and the terror in my face.
"Someone took her," I choked out, tears instantly springing to my eyes as the cold wind whipped my hair across my face. "They're on the lower helipad!"
Alessandro didn't waste a single breath on questions. He didn't blink. He spun on his heel, sprinting toward the private emergency stairwell that led directly to the roof.
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"Stay here," he ordered over his shoulder.
I didn't listen. I grabbed the heavy ceramic blade from my robe pocket, kicked off my slippers, and ran after him into the freezing dark.
