"THE STRUGGLING WAITRESS THOUGHT SHE WAS A GHOST UNTIL SHE THREW HERSELF OVER A CRIME LORD’S LITTLE BOY—AND WHEN THE CRYSTAL SHREDDED HER BACK, ENZO VALENTI DECIDED HER LIFE WAS HIS TO PROTECT"

When we returned to the estate, Enzo was waiting on the front steps. He had already heard the news over the radio, and the look on his face was pure, unadulterated terror. He didn't ask questions. He just dragged both Leo and me into his chest, crushing us against him. We stood there on the driveway for ten minutes in complete silence. When Enzo finally pulled away, the terrified father was gone. The monster was fully awake. "Marco," Enzo commanded, his voice devoid of all human emotion. "Lock the gates. Nobody gets in or out." He turned to me, his dark eyes practically burning a hole through my soul. "The financial plan is over, Clara." "I know," I whispered, wiping away my tears. "He tried to take my son. He tried to take my family." Enzo unbuttoned his suit jacket, tossing it onto the floor of the foyer. He walked into his study and opened the massive steel safe hidden behind a bookshelf. He began pulling out weapons, laying them systematically across his mahogany desk. Five years ago, seeing him like this would have terrified me. Now, it was the most comforting sight in the entire world. "I will not stop until Russo's entire bloodline is wiped from this earth," Enzo swore, loading a magazine. "What do you need me to do?" I asked, standing perfectly still. He stopped, looking at me with a mixture of shock and overwhelming pride. "I need you to stay in the panic room with the children," he told me gently. "And I need you to understand that the man who comes back tonight will be covered in blood." "Just make sure it isn't yours," I told him fiercely.