Chapter 3 - The Pact of the Broken
I realized in a heartbeat that the betrayal went deeper than a single doctor.
My security team had been bought,
likely by the same rival families that had funded the explosion.
"Drop the gun,
Boss,"
Marco,
my longest-serving guard,
said with a chilling lack of remorse.
"The doctor says the kid is a goner anyway."
"Just make it easy on yourself."
I looked at the five men surrounding us,
then at Hunter,
who was still holding Leo like he was the most precious thing in the world.
She wasn't a fighter,
she wasn't a Rossi,
but she had more courage in her pinky finger than all these men combined.
"No,"
she said,
her voice loud and clear in the tense silence.
"The baby is fine."
"He's stronger than all of you."
The guards hesitated,
surprised by the voice of a maid they had probably never noticed before.
I used that second of confusion to my advantage.
I didn't shoot the guards.
I shot the massive crystal chandelier hanging above the foyer.
The glass exploded like a diamond bomb,
sending thousands of lethal shards raining down on the men below.
"Run!"
I shouted,
grabbing Hunter’s arm and pulling her toward the kitchen servant’s entrance.
We sprinted through the dark,
the sound of shouting and gunfire echoing behind us.
I led her into the hidden tunnels my father had built during the height of the mob wars.
The air was damp and smelled of old earth,
but it was safe.
We stopped in a small,
reinforced room beneath the garage,
a place even Halloran didn't know about.
Hunter slumped against a crate,
her breath coming in ragged gasps.
Leo was still quiet,
his small face pressed against her shoulder.
"Why are you doing this?"
I asked,
my voice sounding hollow in the dark.
"You're just a maid."
"You could have stayed in the nursery and let them take him."
Hunter looked up at me,
tears finally spilling over her cheeks.
"I lost my daughter,
Mr. Rossi,"
she whispered,
her voice breaking.
"She died because I couldn't protect her from a man who said he loved me."
"I'm not letting another baby die because of a man's pride."
I looked at her,
really looked at her,
and I saw the reflection of my own grief.
We were both broken,
both haunted by the ghosts of those we couldn't save.
"I'm sorry,"
I said,
and I meant it for more than just her loss.
"I'll get you out of here,
Hunter."
"But first,
I have to kill them all."
She didn't flinch.
"Do what you have to do,"
she said,
reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small,
glass vial.
"But take this."
"It's the medicine the nurse was supposed to give him."
"I swapped it for the poison Halloran was hiding in his bag."
I stared at the vial,
the weight of her bravery hitting me once again.
She hadn't just fed him;
she had been playing a dangerous game of shadows for days.
"You're not just a maid,
Hunter,"
I said,
May you like
checking the magazine of my pistol.
"You're a Rossi now."
