Chapter 1 - The Ghost at the Door
"Elara," the voice hissed through the thick oak of the nursery door.
My blood turned to actual ice inside my veins.
It was Marcus.
My abusive ex-husband, the man who had murdered my unborn daughter, had somehow bypassed the most lethal security grid in the city.
Gabriel Falcone did not panic.
His dark eyes snapped from the locked door to the snoring nanny, calculating the betrayal in a fraction of a second.
He stepped protectively in front of me and his son, raising his weapon toward the wood.
"Who is on the other side of that door?" Gabriel demanded, his voice a low, terrifying rumble.
"It is the man who killed my baby," I whispered, pulling Mateo closer to my chest.
The heart monitor attached to the crib gave a steady, reassuring beep, completely ignoring the nightmare unfolding around us.
The nanny stirred in her rocking chair, groaning as the heavy dose of alcohol and whatever else she had taken began to wear off.
Gabriel crossed the room in two massive strides.
He grabbed the treacherous woman by the collar of her uniform and hauled her to her feet.
"What did you put in my son's bottle?" he snarled, pressing the barrel of his gun under her chin.
She choked on a sob, her eyes wide with absolute terror as she looked at the furious syndicate boss.
"Nothing lethal, I swear!" she cried out.
"They just told me to give him sedatives so he wouldn't eat, so he would slowly waste away."
A sickening wave of nausea washed over me.
They were starving a newborn baby to death to punish the Falcone family without leaving a trace of murder.
"Who paid you?" Gabriel asked, his finger tightening on the trigger.
"The Russian syndicate, they used a guy named Marcus to infiltrate the staff!" she sobbed helplessly.
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Suddenly, the heavy sound of gunfire erupted from the hallway outside.
Marcus was not alone, and the Falcone mansion was officially under siege.
