Chapter 1 - The Breach
Juliet knelt on the worn carpet of Room 712, her hands resting on Leo’s small shoulders. She forced her breathing to slow, masking the sheer panic vibrating through her veins.
"That man," Juliet said, her voice remarkably steady, "is just someone from a long time ago. But we can’t stay here, babies. We need to play the quiet game now. Backpacks on."
Mia didn't ask questions. She slid off the bed, grabbed her small pink canvas bag, and slipped her arms through the straps. Leo followed suit, his amber eyes wide but trusting.
Juliet moved to the window, peering through a crack in the heavy curtains. Down on the rain-slicked Philadelphia street, three sleek black SUVs had just boxed in the hotel’s exits. Men in dark suits were pouring out, moving with the terrifying, synchronized precision of a military strike.
Roman was locking down the building.
"Service elevator," Juliet muttered to herself.
She grabbed her holdall, took a child’s hand in each of hers, and slipped the heavy rubber wedge out from under the door. She opened it a fraction of an inch. The hallway was empty.
They moved like ghosts down the patterned corridor. But as they rounded the corner toward the service stairwell, a massive shadow detached itself from the wall.
"Going somewhere, Mrs. Castile?"
It was Viktor, Roman’s chief enforcer. A giant of a man with a scarred jaw and cold, dead eyes. He didn't draw a weapon—he didn't need to. He simply blocked the exit with his massive frame.
Juliet shoved the children behind her legs, her hand flying to the concealed combat knife in her coat pocket. "Let us pass, Viktor. Or I swear to God, I will put this in your neck."
Viktor didn't flinch. He just looked past her.
"She won't need to," a voice echoed down the hall.
The temperature in the corridor seemed to plummet ten degrees. Roman walked toward them, his black trench coat sweeping the floor, his amber eyes fixed entirely on Juliet.
"Tell your men to stand down, Roman," Juliet demanded, her voice cracking.
"There is nowhere to run, Juliet. The trains are stopped. The airports are watching. The perimeter is sealed." Roman stopped five feet away, his gaze dropping to the two terrified children clinging to her coat. His expression shattered for a microsecond before the ruthless mafia boss slammed the mask back into place.
"Six years," Roman whispered, the words heavy with a suffocating mix of rage and grief. "You stole six years of my blood. My children."
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"They aren't yours!" Juliet lied, stepping back.
Roman laughed, a dark, hollow sound that made Leo whimper. "He has my eyes, Juliet. And she has my mother’s chin. We are going up to the penthouse. We are going to sit down. And you are going to tell me exactly why I shouldn't burn this entire city to the ground for what you've done."
