Chapter 5 - THE SCARRED MAN’S RETURN
The tear gas burned my eyes and throat instantly.
I pulled Leo beneath me, coughing violently as the gray smoke filled the small apartment. Through the haze, I saw three men in tactical gear storm through the broken door. They wore gas masks and carried suppressed rifles.
Answer One: Marcus didn't rely on one old woman. He had a backup team waiting.
Luca didn't hesitate. He fired blindly into the smoke, hitting the first man in the chest. The man dropped, but the other two returned fire.
Bullets shredded the cheap drywall above our heads. Plaster rained down on my back.
"Sophie, the fire escape!" Luca shouted over the deafening noise.
I grabbed Leo in my arms. He was surprisingly light, terrified into absolute silence. I scrambled toward the bedroom window. Luca provided covering fire, moving with a lethal grace that reminded me exactly who he was.
I kicked the window screen out and pushed Leo onto the rusted iron fire escape. The cold Chicago rain hit my face, offering a brief relief from the burning gas. I climbed out after him, gasping for air.
Luca followed, slamming the window shut just as a barrage of bullets shattered the remaining glass.
"Up!" Luca commanded, pointing to the roof. "They have the street blocked."
I grabbed Leo's hand and we rushed up the slick iron stairs. My legs burned, and my heart hammered against my ribs. We reached the flat, tar-paper roof just as the metal door to the stairwell swung open.
Standing in the doorway was a massive man with a jagged scar running down the left side of his face. He held a shotgun casually in one hand.
"Hello, Luca," the scarred man grunted.
Open Two: Who is this man, and why isn't he wearing a mask like the others?
Luca shoved me and Leo behind a large HVAC unit. He leveled his gun at the man.
"Victor," Luca said. The name tasted like poison in his mouth. "I thought I buried you five years ago."
"You missed," Victor smiled, tapping his scar. "Marcus dug me out. Paid me very well to finish the job you started."
The reversal was staggering. Marcus hadn't just hired thugs; he had resurrected Luca's oldest, deadliest enemy. A man who knew exactly how Luca fought.
"Give me the boy, and I'll make it quick for you, Luca," Victor offered, stepping fully onto the roof. The two masked men filed out behind him.
"You're not touching my nephew," Luca growled.
He didn't wait for Victor to raise his shotgun. Luca fired twice. The masked men dropped, but Victor had anticipated the move. He dove behind a brick chimney, racking his shotgun.
"Sophie," Luca whispered, pressing his back against the HVAC unit next to me. He handed me a spare magazine. "When he reloads, I'm going to rush him. You take the boy and run across the adjoining roof. Don't look back."
"I can't leave you," I pleaded, my hands trembling as I held the cold metal magazine.
"You have to," Luca said, his dark eyes softening for just a fraction of a second. "You're the bravest woman I know, Sophie. Save my nephew."
Before I could argue, the deafening blast of the shotgun echoed across the roof. Buckshot tore through the metal unit inches from Luca's head.
"Now!" Luca yelled.
He lunged out from cover, firing at the chimney.
I grabbed Leo, hoisted him onto my hip, and ran. We sprinted across the slippery tar toward the low parapet wall connecting to the next building.
I scrambled over the wall, dragging Leo with me.
But as my feet hit the gravel of the adjacent roof, a heavy hand grabbed the back of my coat, yanking me backward.
I screamed, falling to my knees.
It wasn't Victor. It was Marcus.
He was breathing heavily, his suit ruined, a bruise forming on his neck from where Luca had choked him. He had escaped the guards at the mansion.
"You really are a nuisance, you little maid," Marcus spat, pressing a gun to the back of my head.
He yelled across the roof. "Luca! Drop the gun, or the girl and the boy die right here!"
Silence fell over the rain-swept rooftops.
Luca stepped out from behind the chimney. He had blood on his temple, and Victor lay motionless at his feet.
Luca looked at me, then at Marcus. Slowly, deliberately, the mafia boss dropped his weapon. It clattered against the wet gravel.
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"Good," Marcus sneered. He grabbed my arm, hauling me to my feet, and pointed his gun at Luca's chest. "Now, cousin. Let's talk about my inheritance."
TITLE: The Edge Of The Roof
