Chapter 4 - The Bloodline
The assassin, trained for tactical combat, easily caught Sophia’s wrist, twisting her arm violently behind her back. The glass bottle shattered against the floor, cutting Sophia’s palm.
"Stupid girl," the assassin sneered, shoving her hard against the marble wall. She slid down to the floor, dazed, gasping for air as blood dripped from her hand.
Dr. Vance stepped into the bathroom, stepping over the broken glass. He pulled a pre-filled syringe from his silver briefcase.
"A simple dose of potassium chloride," Vance said smoothly, looking down at Sophia. "Heart failure within thirty seconds. The police will think you committed suicide out of guilt for poisoning Valentina."
He pointed toward the bathtub where Emma was hiding.
"Grab the child," Vance ordered the second assassin. "A fall from the balcony will look like an accident in the dark."
The second assassin stepped toward the tub, reaching down with a heavy, gloved hand to drag Emma out by her hair.
Emma screamed, kicking her tiny bare feet. "DADDY! DADDY HELP ME!"
THWACK!
A high-velocity sniper round shattered the thick bathroom window glass, passing straight through the second assassin's shoulder. The force of the impact lifted the man off his feet, slamming him against the marble wall.
Before Dr. Vance could react, the locked bedroom balcony doors were kicked inward with terrifying power.
Aleandro Moretti leaped through the shattered glass, flanked by six elite enforcers dressed in black combat armor. Aleandro’s eyes were bloodshot with pure, murderous fury.
In his hand, Aleandro held a heavy, custom silver pistol.
Without uttering a single word, Aleandro fired twice.
BANG! BANG!
The primary assassin holding Sophia collapsed instantly, killed before he hit the floor.
Dr. Vance gasped in horror, dropping his syringe, backing away toward the corner of the bathroom, his hands raised frantically.
"Aleandro! Wait! Listen to me!" Vance pleaded, his voice breaking into a pathetic squeak. "I was forced! Carmine Romano threatened my family! They made me do it!"
Aleandro did not stop. He walked across the wet marble floor, his leather shoes crunching over the broken glass.
He grabbed Dr. Vance by the neck with one hand, lifting the elderly doctor off his feet and slamming him brutally against the tiled wall. The sound of Vance’s spine cracking echoed through the small room.
"You came into my home," Aleandro whispered, his voice trembling with a rage so intense the air in the room felt ice-cold. "You threatened my daughter. You touched the mother of my child."
"Please..." Vance choked out, his face turning purple, his feet dangling six inches above the floor. "I... I have information... Carmine’s plans..."
"I don't need your information," Aleandro said softly. "I have my guns."
Aleandro turned his wrist slightly.
BANG.
Dr. Vance went limp, his lifeless body sliding down the marble wall, coming to rest beside the broken syringe.
Aleandro lowered his gun. He didn't look at the dead men. He immediately rushed to the floor where Sophia lay bleeding.
"Sophia!" Aleandro called out, dropping to his knees, taking her cut hand into his own, using his silk handkerchief to press tightly against her bleeding palm. "Look at me. Stay awake. Medical teams are on their way up!"
"Emma..." Sophia wheezed, her vision swimming. "Is... is she okay?"
Aleandro looked toward the bathtub.
Emma had crawled out from behind the porcelain enclosure. Her dress was smudged with soot, her bare knees bruised, but she was unhurt. She looked at Aleandro, then at her mother's blood.
With tears streaming down her dusty cheeks, the three-year-old girl walked toward them. She didn't hesitate. She threw her tiny arms around Aleandro’s neck, burying her face in his soaked shirt.
"Daddy saved us," Emma cried softly.
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Aleandro’s body stiffened for a second, overwhelmed by the emotional weight of the small child holding onto him. Slowly, he wrapped his massive, powerful arms around both Emma and Sophia, pulling them tightly against his chest, shielding them from the darkness of the world.
"Nobody will ever touch you again," Aleandro vowed into the quiet room, his voice shaking with absolute resolve. "I promise you both."
