flash

Chapter 2

Antonio’s chest rose in a shallow, involuntary hitch. The tiny red-and-white plastic instrument in Mia’s hand felt like a physical blow to his sternum, dredging up five years of meticulously buried agony. Before he could form a single word, hurried footsteps echoed down the stone corridor.

Elena slid into the basement kitchen, her face pale with terror. She dropped to her knees, scooping Mia into her arms as if snatching her from the jaws of hell.

“I am so sorry, Mr. Moretti,” Elena choked out, her voice trembling violently as she shielded her daughter’s body. “Please. She didn’t mean to wander. I can leave right now—just don’t hurt her.”

Antonio stared down at the trembling woman and the child. Every instinct honed by decades in the underworld screamed at him to clear them out, to erase the breach in his fortress. Yet, his gaze drifted back to the toy stethoscope clutched in the little girl's small fist.

“Stay,” Antonio commanded, his voice unnaturally rough.

May you like

Elena froze, wide-eyed. “Sir?”

“You heard me,” he muttered, turning on his heel before they could see the raw vulnerability fracturing his iron facade. “Pack your things and move to the second-floor guest suite. Your shift starts tomorrow at dawn.”

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