Page 23 of The Hidden Heir

The sight unsettles me, especially as four men get out and rush toward me. Instinctively, I move back toward the street, my heart racing. They look like they're itching to get to me—fast. It doesn't sit well. These aren't Petrucci people. My instincts never fail me.

"Valentina!" I hear Eddie calling out from inside.

"Out here!" I shout and hate myself at the same time because I know I can't handle what's coming on my own.

As soon as Eddie steps out, the four men are dangerously close and pulling their weapons out.

"Oh, shit," I gasp and turn to run.

Eddie and his guys get between us.

Bullets start flying. A projectile whizzes past me. It goes straight into the wall to my left, chunks of brick flying outward. I guard my eyes and keep running, my heart stuck in my throat.

"Valentina!" Eddie shouts after me.

I glance back and see his partners down. He stoically resists from behind the door, firing back at the bastards and keeping them from moving past him. But one of them manages to slip through and heads straight for me.

By now, the neighbors and the passersby from both streets must've heard the gunshots and the commotion, but I cannot rely on any of them to help me. All I can do is keep running until I find a safe place to hide.

This was supposed to be a fucking trial run. Not a fight for my life.

The man gets dangerously close to nabbing me, but I run faster. To my shock, Luca comes in from the main street. I freeze on the spot as he raises his gun, his eyes cold and deadly, his lips pressed into a thin line.

I duck and cry out in crippling fear as he pulls the trigger.

The man is face-down, dead in a puddle of his own blood.

Luca grabs my arm, pulling me closer. "Get behind me," he says. "And stay behind me."

He keeps firing until another of my stepfather's men falls. I know he's the one who sent them. Eddie joins him as they advance through the alley, but the other two decide to pull back and head to the car. Luca and Eddie run after them.

The SUV drives off with an ear-piercing screech.

They're gone.

Groans echo from the alley. Luca's men are alive but wounded and unable to move. Luca curses under his breath, while Eddie quickly makes sure Mancuso's men are very much dead. I'm panting and shaking like a leaf when Luca focuses on me.

He's close. Too close. I can smell the feral intention of his cologne as he measures me from head to toe, then gently cups my cheek.

"Are you okay? Were you hit?" he asks, his brow deeply furrowed. That's genuine concern darkening his handsome features, and it tugs at my irritated heart strings.

I nod slowly. "I'm okay. What are you doing here?"

"I had a feeling you'd try something."

"I wouldn't leave my son behind," I say indignantly.

Luca smirks coldly. "I know. But you'd still try to see how far you can get. You underestimate my ability to read you, Valentina. Let this be the last time." He pauses to look at Eddie. "How are they?"

"They'll live," Eddie replies, checking his colleagues. "But I need to get them to our doctor."

"Call Victor. He's just down the road. He'll handle the cleanup. You take the boys. I'll stay with her," Luca replies.

Next thing I know, he grasps my upper arm firmly and almost drags me back through the corridor. I stumble into the fitting room where a pale-faced Evie awaits with a glass of water and a bag of gummy bears.

"Mr. Petrucci," Evie gasps. "I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault, trust me," he replies. "Can you give us the room, please?"