Vincent's Shadow
Aria's POV
The first bullet smashed through my bedroom window before I even heard the gunshot.
Glass exploded everywhere as I dove behind my bed, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst. More shots followed, turning my tiny flat into a war zone.
"Get down!" Marco roared from the living room. I heard him returning fire, his gun booming like thunder.
This was really happening. People were actually trying to kill me.
"Aria!" Luca's words cut through the chaos. "We need to move! Now!"
I crawled toward my bedroom door, staying low as more bullets punched holes in my walls. Everything I owned was being destroyed in seconds. My dance awards, Dad's books, Mom's picture – all of it turning to rubble.
Dmitri appeared in my doorway, his golden hair catching the streetlight. Blood ran down his arm, but he was grinning like this was the most fun he'd had all week.
"Come on, little dancer," he said, reaching for me. "Time to go."
I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up, covering me with his body as we ran toward the living room. Kai was by the window, calm as ever, picking off enemies with scary accuracy.
"How many?" Marco commanded, reloading his gun.
"Twelve. Maybe more." Kai's voice was steady, like he was talking the weather instead of a gunfight. "Vincent sent his best team."
My stomach dropped. "This is because of me, isn't it?"
"This is because of your grandfather," Marco corrected sadly. "And we're getting you out of here before he sends more."
The shooting stopped quickly. The quiet was somehow worse than the noise.
"That's not good," Luca mumbled, checking his phone. "My sources say Vincent's main crew is going this way. We have maybe two minutes."
Marco grabbed my shoulders, his gray eyes fierce. "Listen carefully. We're going to run to the black car outside. Stay between us no matter what happens. If I tell you to duck, you duck. If I tell you to run, you run. Understand?"
I nodded, too scared to speak.
"Good girl." He gave me a bulletproof vest. "Put this on. Quickly."
My hands shook as I strapped it on. The weight felt wrong, like wearing fear as clothes.
"Ready?" Dmitri asked, checking his gun one more time.
Before anyone could answer, my front door burst inward. Three guys in black suits rushed in, weapons raised.
Everything happened so fast I barely saw it. Kai moved like liquid lightning, his knife finding the first man's throat before he could fire. Dmitri tackled the second guy, and they crashed into my kitchen table. Marco put two shots in the third man's chest.
Just like that, three people were dead in my living room.
I stared at the bodies, my mind refusing to understand what I'd just seen. These men had come here to kill me. To take me away or put a bullet in my head.
"Aria." Luca's speech was gentle but urgent. "We have to go. Right now."
He took my hand and pulled me toward the broken window. Down on the street, I could see more black cars coming. Men with guns were getting out, circling the building.
"Fire escape," Marco ordered. "Move!"
Kai went first, disappearing into the darkness. Then Dmitri, still bleeding but moving fast. Luca helped me onto the metal platform, and Marco came last, watching our backs.
The fire escape was old and rusty, creaking under our weight. Three floors down felt like three miles. Every second, I expected shots to start flying again.
We made it to the alley just as shouts exploded from my apartment. Vincent's men had found the bodies.
"This way," Marco whispered, leading us toward a sleek black car hidden behind a dumpster.
That's when I saw him.
A man stepped out of the dark at the far end of the alley. Even in the darkness, I could see his expensive suit and cold smile. He was older, maybe fifty, with gray hair and eyes like black ice.
"Hello, granddaughter," he said in a voice smooth as poison.
Vincent Torrino. The man who'd destroyed my father and wanted to destroy me.
"Get in the car," Marco demanded, but Vincent's voice stopped us.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Mr. Romano."
Red laser dots emerged on all four men's chests. Snipers. Vincent had positioned shooters all around us.
"You see," Vincent added, walking closer, "I know exactly who took my granddaughter. And I know exactly where you planned to take her."
My blood turned to ice. How could he know about the Romano compound? Unless...
"Surprised?" Vincent's smile widened. "Did you really think you could hide from me? I have people everywhere, Aria. Even in places you'd never guess."
He was right. Someone had told him we were here. Someone on the inside.
"Let her go, Vincent," Marco said, his gun still aimed at my grandpa. "This is between you and me."
"Oh, but it's not." Vincent's black eyes fixed on me. "This has always been about family. About blood. About what she represents."
"What I represent?" I found my voice, anger cutting through fear. "I'm not a thing you can own!"
Vincent laughed, the sound making my skin crawl. "Brave words. Your mother said something similar before she betrayed the family."
"My mother left because you're a monster!"
"Your mother left because she was weak." His voice turned cold as winter. "But you... you have promise. I can see it in your eyes. The same fire that made me who I am."
"I'm nothing like you."
"Aren't you?" Vincent tilted his head. "You're standing in an alley surrounded by dead bodies, protected by killers, and you're not crying or begging. You're angry. That anger is Torrino blood, child. My blood."
I wanted to deny it, but he was right. I wasn't falling apart. I was furious.
"Here's what's going to happen," Vincent continued. "You're going to come with me freely, and I won't kill your new friends. Or you can try to run, and I'll hunt down everyone you've ever cared about. Starting with that sweet friend of yours... what was her name? Sarah?"
Terror shot through me. "Leave her alone!"
"Then choose wisely."
Marco stepped closer to me. "Don't listen to him, Aria. We can protect you."
"Can you?" Vincent pulled out his phone and showed us a movie. Sarah was tied to a chair in what looked like a warehouse, tears running down her face. "I already have her. One word from me, and she dies."
The world turned sideways. This was my fault. Sarah was in trouble because of me.
But before I could answer, Luca's phone buzzed. He glanced at it and his face went white.
"Boss," he whispered to Marco. "We have a bigger problem. That's not just any building. That's—"
Vincent's smile turned aggressive. "That's right, Mr. Romano. I have your little sister too."