I should have known he would do something like this. Adrian Donato does not just set up a desk. He sets up a fallback position, hardens the walls, reinforces the door, installs feeds, and says nothing because apparently that counts as normal behavior in his mind.
The room is not big.
That becomes obvious very quickly.
It was not designed for this many people. It was probably designed for me, Adrian, maybe one or two others. Not four women, one of whom is pregnant, four men who are built bigger than average, and many small children.
We fit anyway because we have to.
Nick pulls Sofia and Charlotte close beside Lucia. Erica takes one of the few chairs while Nico keeps Emma in his arms. Teresa sits in the chair nearest the wall with Cristiano held tightly to her chest. Vito stays standing near Teresa. Lucia rocks Gabriel automatically, even though his eyes are wide open now. I end up near the desk, because that is where Adrian goes.
He shuts the door behind us.
The sound is heavy, and a lock slides into place. Then another.
For one second, the room feels airless.
“What is this?” Vito asks, voice low.
“A safe room,” Adrian says, already at the monitors.
“Typically, I would say this is overkill, but I’m having a hard time just now,” Lucia says hoarsely.
I stare at the screens over Adrian’s shoulder.
At first, I cannot process what I am seeing.
Too many angles. Too much movement. Dark lawn. Shadows. Security lights. The gate camera flickers once, then stabilizes. The rear access camera catches a shape moving fast. The garage feed shows one of Adrian’s people on the ground.
My heart clenches so hard it hurts.
“Oh, God.”
He is not moving.
I do not know his name.
I should know his name.
He is lying half on his side near the garage entrance, one arm out, his weapon several feet away.
Maybe he is alive.
Maybe he is not.
Another feed shows two bodies near the side gate. One I do not recognize in black tactical clothing. One of Nick’s security, I think, because of the earpiece and jacket. They are both down.
A third feed shows movement.
Fast.
Violent.
Two of Adrian’s people are not down. They are fighting.
One woman near the rear patio fires twice and ducks behind the stone wall. Another of his people comes in from the left, drops low, and takes down a man coming over the side of the landscaping. There is no sound in the room except our breathing and the low hum of equipment, but I can see the recoil, see the flash, see the bodies move.
Nick is beside me now.
