Chapter 2 - Blood on the Linoleum
The sharp crack of a weapon discharging filled the narrow hallway. Luca reacted with terrifying speed. In a single motion, he lunged forward, grabbing Ruby by the collar of her orange sweater and hauling her behind the heavy steel reception desk just as a spray of bullets shattered the glass medicine cabinets above them.
Caesar didn't run. Despite his stitches, the cane corso unleashed a roar that sounded like a mechanical saw, charging into the dark hallway.
"Caesar, NO!" Ruby screamed, trying to scramble up, but Luca caught her around the waist, pinning her to the floor beneath him.
His weight was immense—solid muscle and hot adrenaline. His face was inches from hers, his dark eyes burning with a lethal fire. "Stay down," he growled.
"He’s hurt! He'll get killed!" Ruby fought against his grip, her hands shoving at his broad chest, but he was like a stone wall.
"He's doing his job," Luca said coldly. He pulled a matte-black gun from his shoulder holster, racked the slide with a crisp clack, and rolled out from behind the desk.
The clinic exploded into chaos. Gunfire echoed in the tight space, smelling of ozone and burning cordite. Ruby covered her ears, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She heard shouting in Italian, the wet thud of bodies hitting the floor, and the unmistakable, brutal sound of Caesar taking down an attacker.
A man tumbled backward into the main room, screaming as Caesar’s jaws locked onto his arm. Luca stepped up, raised his weapon without a second of hesitation, and fired twice. The man went limp.
Silence crashed back into the room, heavy and suffocating.
Luca stood in the middle of the ruined clinic, smoke curling from the barrel of his gun. His charcoal suit was splattered with fresh blood, his hair slightly disheveled. He swept his eyes across the room, checking the corners, before lowering his weapon.
Caesar stood over the fallen assassin, panting heavily, blood dripping from his muzzle—some of it his own, as his stitches had ripped open in the struggle.
Ruby dragged herself out from behind the desk, her knees shaking so badly she could barely stand. She looked at the dead man on her floor, then at the shattered bottles of antibiotics, and finally at Luca.
"You brought this here," she whispered, her voice cracking. "My sanctuary. You brought your war into my house."
Luca looked around the clinic. The realization hit him, visible in the tightening of his jaw. This woman had nothing to do with the Marchetti-Valenti blood feud. She was an innocent bystander whose only crime was leaving her back door unlocked during a rainstorm.
"I didn't bring them," Luca said softly. "They tracked Caesar. They knew if they hurt him, I would come out into the open."
"Get out," Ruby said, tears of anger finally spilling over her thick lashes. "Take your guns, take your dead bodies, and get out of my clinic!"
Caesar slowly walked over to Ruby. He didn't go to Luca. He limped to her side, pressing his blood-soaked head against her hip, whimpering softly. He looked up at her with eyes that practically begged her not to send him away.
Luca stared at the dog, then at Ruby. Outside, the sound of sirens began to wail in the distance—the police were finally coming.
"If I leave him here, they will come back to finish him—and you," Luca said, his tone dead serious. "The Valenti family doesn't leave witnesses, Miss Hart. You saw my face. You saw their men die. You are already dead if you stay in this building."
Ruby felt the cold reality of his words sink into her stomach like a lead weight. She looked down at Caesar, whose tail gave a weak, hopeful wag against her leg.
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"I can't just leave my life," she whispered.
"Your life in this building is over," Luca said, stepping closer and offering her his hand. It was an invitation, but they both knew it was the only choice she had. "Come with me. I will protect you. Caesar has already decided you're coming anyway."
