Chapter 6 - The Moretti Shadow Strikes
The screech of the security siren was instantly followed by the deafening crack of high-caliber gunfire echoing from the front gates of the compound.
Sadi gasped, stumbling backward as panic seized her chest.
In a fraction of a second, Roman transformed. The calm, calculating billionaire vanished entirely, replaced by a ruthless warlord operating on pure, lethal instinct.
He lunged toward the nightstand, tore open a concealed biometric compartment beneath the mahogany paneling, and pulled out a customized automatic submachine gun and two spare magazines. He racked the slide with a single, violent motion.
"Get down on the floor behind the bed," Roman commanded, his voice devoid of fear, vibrating with absolute authority. "Do not move until I come for you."
"Roman, what's happening?!" Sadi cried, dropping to her knees behind the reinforced base of the massive silk-draped bed.
"Moretti," he said simply.
The sound of shattering glass erupted from the first-floor foyer downstairs, followed by rapid, rhythmic bursts of automatic weapon fire and the guttural shouts of men dying in the marble corridors. The estate’s private security detail was engaging the intruders with brutal, military-grade efficiency.
Roman didn't flinch. He moved toward the bedroom door with silent, predatory speed.
Just as his hand reached the door handle, the heavy wood exploded inward under a hail of buckshot.
Splinters of oak rained through the air. Sadi screamed, covering her head as drywall dust filled the room like white smoke.
Through the shattered doorway stepped a massive, scarred man in tactical gear, carrying a combat shotgun, his face smeared with greasepaint. He locked eyes on Sadi cowering behind the bed.
"Found the boss's pet!" the man snarled into his radio collar.
He raised the barrel directly toward her.
Before the shooter could pull the trigger, Roman appeared from the shadow of the doorway like a wraith. With terrifying, inhuman speed, Roman seized the barrel of the shotgun, redirecting the blast upward into the ceiling plaster, while his other hand drove a combat knife cleanly beneath the intruder’s tactical collarbone.
The man let out a wet, choked gasp.
Roman ripped the blade free and delivered a point-blank double-tap from his sidearm into the intruder's chest. The heavy body collapsed to the hardwood floor with a sickening thud, blood pooling rapidly across the antique Persian rug.
Sadi sat frozen in utter horror, her hands pressed over her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers. She had spent a year working in this house, knowing Roman was dangerous, but seeing the clinical, effortless manner in which he ended a human life was a visceral shock that rattled her to the core of her soul.
Roman stepped over the corpse without looking down. He ejected the spent magazine from his pistol, slammed a fresh one home with the heel of his palm, and scanned the smoke-filled hallway.
The gunfire downstairs began to taper off, replaced by the sharp, professional calls of Roman’s captains clearing rooms.
"All clear in the foyer! Sector three secured! Boss is safe upstairs!"
Roman lowered his weapon, took a slow, deep breath, and turned back toward the bedroom. He looked at Sadi.
She was trembling uncontrollably, pressed flat against the wall behind the bed, tears cutting clean lines through the white drywall dust on her cheeks. Her emerald velvet ring caught the dim light, smeared with a single drop of crimson splatter.
Roman’s expression softened instantly. The cold, murderous fury in his dark eyes evaporated, replaced by an intense, agonized concern.
He dropped his weapon onto the bedside table, stripped off his blood-stained tactical gloves, and dropped to his knees right in front of her.
"Sadi," he murmured, his voice raw. "Look at me. Look at my eyes."
She couldn't stop shaking. "He... he was going to kill me. He was going to shoot me, Roman."
"He is dead," Roman said, reaching out. He hesitated for a split second, afraid his touch might frighten her further, but when her tearful eyes met his, he pulled her firmly into his massive arms.
Sadi buried her face against the crook of his neck, sobbing violently as the shock overwhelmed her nervous system. She gripped the fabric of his shirt with desperate, white-knuckled intensity.
Roman wrapped his arms around her lush, trembling frame, holding her with a fierce, crushing protectiveness that made the entire chaotic world outside cease to exist. He pressed his lips against the top of her dark hair, inhaling the sweet scent of vanilla and lavender that defied the smell of gunpowder and blood.
"I am sorry," Roman whispered against her hair, his voice vibrating with a dark, terrifying vow. "I promised you protection, and I let violence cross this threshold. It will never happen again."
May you like
He pulled back slightly, his large hands framing her face, wiping away the tears and dust with his thumbs. His dark eyes burned into hers with an intensity so profound it made her breath hitch in her throat.
"Salvatore Moretti just made the fatal mistake of threatening the only woman who matters in this city," Roman snarled softly. "By sunrise tomorrow, the Moretti bloodline will cease to exist."
