Chapter 4 - The Ambush at the Conservatory
The glass domes of the Lincoln Park Conservatory were filled with lush tropical ferns, blooming orchids, and the gentle sound of indoor waterfalls.
Elise walked along the stone path holding Maisie’s hand in her left and Rosie’s hand in her right, pointing out the colorful koi fish swimming in the central pool. Flanking them thirty feet back, dressed in civilian clothes with concealed earpieces, were four of my elite personal bodyguards.
Suddenly, two men in heavy leather jackets pushed through the conservatory's service entrance, blocking the stone path directly in front of Elise.
The lead man, a scarred enforcer named Tony 'The Blade' Russo, sneered with vicious entitlement.
"Well, well, little Elise," Tony growled, stepping closer. "You've been hiding behind billionaire gates, thinking you could ignore Mr. Rossi's debt."
Elise froze, her face turning pale as she instantly pulled Maisie and Rosie behind her skirt, shielding them with her entire body.
"Get away from us, Tony!" Elise shouted, her voice shaking with fear but refusing to yield an inch. "I told you, I don't have my father's files! Leave these children alone!"
"We don't care about the brats, sweet cheeks," the second man laughed, reaching out to grab Elise’s arm. "Hand over the flash drive, or we take you and the kids for a little ride to Cicero."
Before his fingers could touch Elise’s coat, a hand clamped down on his wrist with the crushing force of a steel vise.
A sickening snap echoed through the glass pavilion.
The enforcer screamed in agony as I twisted his arm behind his back, slamming his face into the stone planter with ruthless precision.
Tony spun around in shock, drawing a snub-nosed revolver.
Before he could raise the barrel, Marco stepped out from behind a palm tree, kicking the gun cleanly from Tony's grip, while two other guards pinned him face-down onto the damp flagstones with tactical rifles pressed to the back of his skull.
I stood over the writhing enforcers, my dark overcoat open, my eyes burning with absolute, murderous fury.
"You brought weapons near my children," I whispered, my voice slicing through the humidity like a guillotine.
Tony looked up at me, coughing blood, his eyes widening in pure terror. "C-Caruso...?! This was just about the Navarro girl! We didn't know the kids were yours!"
"Everything in this city that touches this woman and these children belongs to me, Tony," I said, looking down at him with cold disgust. "Tell Victor Rossi that his debt with the Navarro family is settled in blood. And if I see another Rossi soldier north of Madison Street, I will burn his empire to the ground."
I turned around.
Elise was kneeling on the stones, her arms wrapped tightly around Maisie and Rosie, who were crying softly against her shoulders.
May you like
I knelt beside them, wrapping my heavy coat around all three of them, pulling them securely against my chest.
"You're safe," I murmured softly, brushing a tear from Elise’s cheek. "I’ve got you. All of you."
