The air in the library was heavy, smelling of old leather, fine bourbon, and the quiet despair of a man who had long since surrendered to his own cage.

Sebastian didn't just send his men. He went himself.

Armed to the teeth, the Lombardi syndicate locked down Chicago Memorial Hospital. Gabriel led the tactical team, sweeping the pediatric ward.

Claire waited in the armored SUV parked in the ambulance bay, her heart in her throat. Next to her sat Sebastian, strapped into his titanium leg braces, gripping an assault rifle.

"They're coming out," Gabriel's voice cracked over the radio.

The hospital doors blew open. Gabriel and three guards formed a shield around a gurney. On it was Leo, crying but safe, hooked up to a portable oxygen tank.

Suddenly, two black vans screeched into the ambulance bay. Moretti hitmen poured out, opening fire.

"Ambush!" Gabriel shouted, diving for cover over Leo.

Sebastian didn't hesitate. He kicked his door open. Using his arms and the heavy steel of the armored door, he hauled himself upward. The titanium braces locked with a sharp click.

For the first time in twenty years, Sebastian Lombardi stepped out of a vehicle on his own two feet.

He braced himself against the frame and raised his rifle. The sight of the infamous, paralyzed mob boss standing tall froze the Moretti men in sheer terror. It was a ghost rising from the grave.

Sebastian opened fire, his aim ruthless and precise. He dropped three men in seconds, covering Gabriel long enough for them to load Leo into the SUV.