Chapter 2 - THE BULLET IN THE RAIN
The shockwave threw us against the wet pavement.
Glass rained over my back in a glittering, deadly shower.
Alessandro did not move.
His broad frame covered me completely.
His heavy wool coat absorbed the stinging shards.
"Stay down, Sophia," he growled against my ear.
His breath was hot against my neck.
His heart slammed against his ribs like a sledgehammer.
A second shot tore through the air.
Crack.
The bullet struck the SUV's armored passenger door.
Metal shrieked.
A dent the size of a fist bloomed two inches above my head.
Dante opened fire.
The rapid staccato of his automatic weapon cut through the storm.
"Sniper on the water tower across the square!" Dante yelled.
"Two shooters advancing on foot through the alley!"
Alessandro shifted his weight.
He reached inside his bespoke jacket with his right hand.
He drew a custom matte-black Kimber .45.
He looked down at me.
His silver-gray eyes were no longer cold.
They were burning with a terrifying, predatory fire.
"Can you crawl, Sophia?"
My left hand throbbed beneath his linen handkerchief.
Blood was soaking through the white cotton.
"Yes," I gasped.
My voice shook.
"Into the rear cabin," he ordered.
"Now."
He did not wait for me to hesitate.
He hooked his left arm around my waist.
He dragged me across the slush-covered asphalt.
He threw the heavy ballistic door wide.
He lifted me into the vehicle with one arm.
I tumbled onto the leather floorboards, clutching my bleeding palm.
Another round punched through the rear taillight.
Plastic exploded into red dust.
Alessandro did not dive inside.
He used the open door as a shield.
He raised his weapon.
He fired two deliberate, double-tap shots through the pouring rain.
Across the street, a man in a dark parka collapsed into the slush.
A second man dropped behind an overturned garbage container, clutching his leg.
Dante scrambled into the driver’s seat.
"Boss! In!"
Alessandro vaulted into the cabin beside me.
He slammed the door shut.
The hydraulic locks engaged with a heavy, pressurized thud.
The interior went eerily silent.
The roar of the storm was muffled behind three inches of bulletproof glass.
Dante slammed the gear into reverse.
Tires screamed against the wet asphalt.
The SUV spun around, mounting the curb, before launching forward into traffic.
My breath came in ragged, painful gasps.
My back was pressed against the floor bracket.
My ribs ached from the collision.
Alessandro knelt in the narrow space between the seats.
He holstered his firearm with one smooth click.
He reached down.
His large, calloused hands took my shoulders.
He pulled me up onto the leather bench.
"Look at me, Sophia."
I looked up.
Rainwater dripped from his dark hair, trailing down his sharp cheekbones.
His white shirt collar was smeared with my blood.
"Are you hit?" he demanded.
His hands moved quickly across my arms, my shoulders, my waist.
Checking for wounds.
Checking for blood that wasn't from my palm.
"No," I choked out.
"Just... just the glass from the window."
His hands stopped on my waist.
His thumbs pressed lightly against my hips.
He let out a slow, shuddering breath.
It was the first time I had ever seen Alessandro Caruso look human.
Four years ago, he had been a marble statue at our wedding.
Untouchable.
Terrifying.
Now, his fingers were trembling against my sweater.
"Who was that?" I whispered.
"Who shot at the bakery?"
Alessandro did not answer immediately.
He pulled the sealed manila envelope from his inner pocket.
The handwriting on the front was unmistakable.
My father’s handwriting.
FOR SOPHIA — WHEN SHE IS SAFE.
The paper was aged, yellowed at the edges, and smudged with dried fingerprints.
"Your father didn't die in an accident, Sophia," Alessandro said quietly.
The car took a sharp turn onto the interstate.
"He was murdered by the syndicate council."
"Why?"
"Because he built the offshore ledger that controlled thirty billion dollars."
"And before he died, he gave the encryption keys to me."
My stomach turned to pure ice.
"To you?"
"To keep you alive," Alessandro said.
"Our marriage was never a business transaction, Sophia."
"It was an extraction."
Dante’s voice suddenly crackled from the front console:
"Boss. We have a problem."
Alessandro’s head snapped toward the rearview mirror.
"Report."
"The tracker we put on Aunt Marie's apartment just went offline," Dante said.
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"Her phone was dumped in a dumpster on 4th Street."
"And the building has just been set on fire."
