Chapter 14 - THE KIDNAPPING ATTEMPT|
Elena’s heart slammed into her throat. "Rosa! Get Sophie into the back room now!"
Before Rosa could react, the sound of screeching tires erupted outside.
A heavy delivery van slammed into the side of the unmarked sedan parked across the street. Four men wearing ski masks jumped out, brandishing automatic weapons, and sprinted toward the shop’s front door.
"Lock the door!" Elena screamed, lunging for the electronic security button Vincent had installed under the counter.
SLAM!
Heavy steel shutters slammed down over the bulletproof display windows just as the gunmen hit the glass. The heavy metallic bang echoed through the shop.
"Break it down! Break it down!" a muffled voice yelled from outside, followed by the deafening sound of gunfire spraying against the steel door. But the reinforced materials held firm.
Inside, Elena crouched on the floor, holding a weeping Sophie in her arms, her body trembling with terror.
Outside, the gunfire suddenly stopped.
Shouts, groans, and the unmistakable sound of heavy physical impacts echoed through the steel shutter.
Thirty seconds later, total silence returned to Halsted Street.
The electronic lock on the front shutter chimed. Slowly, the heavy steel door rolled back up.
Standing in the rain outside was Vincent Torino. His coat was torn, his knuckles were bloody, and behind him, four of Moretti’s hitmen lay unconscious on the wet pavement.
Vincent stepped into the shop, breathing heavily, his eyes wild with adrenaline and sheer terror—terrified not for himself, but for them.
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"Are you hurt?" Vincent rasped, his voice cracking. "Did they break in?"
Elena didn't answer with words. She threw her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest, weeping uncontrollably.
