Chapter 13 - The Schoolyard Threat
The plan was risky, but it was the only way to destroy Victor Russo without firing a single bullet. Enzo began quietly buying up the debts of Russo's most loyal lieutenants. While Enzo worked the financial angles, I kept the children glued to my side. Leo was furious about the sudden security detail following him at his private academy. "I don't need four bodyguards to go to math class, Mom," Leo complained over breakfast one morning. "You do until your father says otherwise," I replied strictly, cutting Mia's pancakes. That afternoon, the nightmare I had been dreading finally materialized. I was waiting in the armored SUV outside Leo's school when the dismissal bell rang. I saw Leo walking down the stone steps, his backpack slung over one shoulder. Suddenly, a black van screeched onto the curb, cutting off the crosswalk. Three men in ski masks jumped out, sprinting directly toward my son. Time seemed to slow down entirely. Marco and Dante drew their weapons instantly, shouting orders. But Leo didn't freeze. He remembered exactly what his father had taught him. Leo dropped his heavy backpack, throwing it directly into the legs of the first attacker. The man stumbled, and Leo bolted in the opposite direction, diving behind a massive concrete pillar. Gunfire erupted, shattering the peaceful afternoon. I screamed Leo's name, throwing the SUV door open despite Dante's desperate attempt to hold me back. Marco shot the second attacker in the chest, while the third scrambled back into the van as it sped away. I ran across the courtyard, completely ignoring the screaming parents and terrified students. I found Leo huddled behind the pillar, his hands covering his ears, but completely unharmed. I dropped to my knees and pulled him into a crushing embrace, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm okay, Mom," Leo whispered, his small hands gripping my jacket tightly. "I'm okay." But as I held my shaking son, the gentle mother inside me died completely. Victor Russo had crossed the final, unforgivable line.
