Moments later, Alessandro and Adriano burst in, guns drawn. Their expressions shift from battle-ready to relief when they see us huddled together.
"Thank God," Alessandro breathes, lowering his weapon. Blood streaks his face, but I don't think it’s his. "You're all right."
Adriano leaves for a moment and then returns. "Everything is clear."
I clutch Enzo and Luca tighter, my body still shaking with adrenaline.
Enzo’s small face is buried against Luca's chest, fingers gripping his father's shirt so tightly we might have to peel them off.
For a moment, we simply exist. But then Luca rises, handing Enzo to me. “Bratva has some fucking nerve.” He starts to leave, and I know what’s going on, and it’s a suicide mission.
Alessandro steps in his way.
“Don’t stop me.” Luca’s voice is deadly.
“If you want to die today, be my guest. You may have had luck in the past being a stupid asshole, but if you go after them now, you’ll die. Is that what you want?”
Enzo wails. “I don’t want Daddy to die.”
I stand on shaky legs. “He shouldn’t hear this.”
Luca shakes his head. “No. He shouldn’t.” He turns. “I won’t die, buddy.”
But we all know he can’t make that promise.
He turns back to Alessandro. "They got into the compound. They came for my family. How?"
Alessandro's jaw tightens. "Security breach at the east gate. We're still counting bodies."
"This wasn't just another attack." Luca steps closer to his brother, fury radiating from him in waves. "They were after Katerina and Enzo."
I close my eyes as reality hits. I’d waited too long to respond to Maksim’s ultimatum and he’d come for Enzo.
“So it appears.”
The magnitude of what just happened washes over me. We could have died. Enzo could have died. All because I was too torn between my heart and my fear to make a choice.
“It means there’s still someone in our midst giving info to the Bratva,” Adriano states.
"We need to move you all to a safer location," Alessandro says, meeting my eyes directly for the first time. There's something new in his gaze. Almost as he sees me as family, not Bratva. "The main house has better security."
Luca turns to me, his expression softening as he takes in Enzo's trembling form in my arms. He reaches out, his hand gentle as it cups our son's cheek.
"No one will ever get this close to you again," he promises, his eyes burning with conviction. "I swear it on my life."
My throat tightens with emotion. This is my fault.
"Luca. I need to tell you something—about the phone call the other day."
His expression changes. It’s wary. As if he knows what I’m going to say and is disappointed in me. "They contacted you."
I nod, shame and guilt washing through me. "Maksim threatened Enzo if I didn't…" I can't finish, not with our son's ears so close.
Luca understands, but there's no accusation in his eyes.
"We end this," he says. "Today."
We don’t gather anything as we leave the cottage and head to the main house.
