Chapter 4 - A VIPER IN THE SYNDICATE
Adrian’s expression shifted instantly. The gentle father figure vanished, replaced in a heartbeat by the cold, ruthless boss of the Chicago underworld.
"Take Sofia and Emma inside," Adrian ordered Frank, standing up smoothly. "Lock down the west wing. Nobody goes in or out until I give the word."
Sofia saw the sudden shift in his demeanor, and the old terror threatened to claw its way back into her chest. "Adrian... what's happening?"
It was the first time she had called him by his first name. Adrian looked at her, his eyes softening for a fraction of a second.
"Nothing you need to worry about," he said calmly. "Go inside with Frank."
Within five minutes, the massive iron gates at the entrance of the estate swung open, allowing three sleek black sedans to roll slowly up the winding cobblestone driveway. They pulled up in front of the main fountain.
Lorenzo Rossi stepped out of the lead vehicle. He was a tall, lean man in his late forties, dressed in an ostentatious velvet-collared coat, his slicked-back black hair streak with silver. His eyes were sharp, calculating, and wet like a reptile's. Four heavily armed bodyguards flanked him as he walked toward the stone steps.
Adrian stood on the front porch alone, his hands thrust calmly into his trouser pockets. Frank stood behind the heavy oak double doors, a submachine gun slung under his jacket.
"Lorenzo," Adrian greeted, his voice dropping an octave into pure ice. "You're a long way from the North Side."
"Adrian," Lorenzo smiled, revealing a row of unnaturally white teeth. "Is that any way to welcome an old friend? I heard rumors that the great 'Stone' Moretti was coming out of his hibernation. I came to see if the stories were true."
"You're trespassing," Adrian said flatly. "State your business and get off my land."
Lorenzo chuckled, taking a slow step up the stairs. "Always straight to the point. Very well. Word on the street is that you've taken a sudden interest in a dead mechanic's widow. A girl named Sofia Romano. You even ran poor Mario Donati out of town over her."
Adrian didn't flinch. "What I do in my territory is my affair. Donati was an amateur."
"Is she good in bed, Adrian?" Lorenzo asked casually, a dirty sneer touching his lips. "Or is it the little bastard she carries around that got your cold heart pumping again?"
Before Lorenzo’s bodyguards could even react, Adrian descended the steps like a unleashed tempest.
He caught Lorenzo by the throat, slamming him hard against the hood of his own sedan. The impact dented the steel. Lorenzo’s men instantly drew their weapons, but within a second, six Moretti snipers positioned on the estate roof painted red laser dots across the chests of every single Rossi guard.
"Tell your men to hold their fire," Adrian growled, his face inches from Lorenzo’s, his fingers digging deep into the man’s windpipe. "Or they will be picking your brains off your hood before your gun leaves its holster."
Lorenzo gagged, waving his hands frantically at his men. "Hold! Hold fire!"
Adrian leaned in closer, his dark eyes burning with an unholy fury. "If you ever mention her name again, or if you even think about looking toward this house, I will exterminate your entire family line. I will tear down your empire brick by brick and burn what's left. Do you understand me, Lorenzo?"
Lorenzo nodded desperately, terror finally breaking through his arrogant facade.
Adrian shoved him backward. Lorenzo stumbled, clutching his throat, coughing violently.
"Get out of my sight," Adrian spat.
May you like
Lorenzo scrambled back into his car. The three sedans executed a rushed three-point turn and sped out of the gates, tires screeching against the gravel.
From a high window in the west wing, Sofia stood behind the heavy lace curtains, her hands pressed against her mouth as she watched the confrontation below. She knew then that their peace was a fragile glass castle, and a storm was brewing on the horizon.
