Chapter 5 - The Ambush
The fallout from the gala kiss was monumental. Luca’s board of directors called an emergency meeting the following morning. While Luca was downtown fighting for control of his own empire, I was back at the estate, attempting to maintain some sense of normalcy for Sofia.
My ankle was healing well enough that I could walk with just a slight limp, abandoning the cane. Sofia and I were in the greenhouse, planting small seeds in terracotta pots.
"Emma, can we grow strawberries?" Sofia asked, her hands covered in rich, dark soil.
"We can try, sweetie," I smiled, brushing a stray curl from her forehead.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the main house. Sofia jumped.
"Stay here," I whispered, wiping my hands on my apron. "Do not move from this bench, Sofia. Promise me."
"I promise," she whimpered, clutching a plastic trowel.
I slipped out of the greenhouse and hurried across the lawn. The back patio doors were shattered. Glass covered the marble floor of the sunroom. Standing in the center of the wreckage was a man I recognized from the society pages—Isabella’s older brother, Dominic Romano. He looked erratic, his eyes wild, holding a heavy iron fireplace poker.
"Where is he?" Dominic roared, kicking a side table over. "He bankrupted my family! Where's Moretti?"
"He's not here," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. Where was Marco? Where was security?
Dominic’s crazy eyes snapped to me. He smiled, an ugly, dangerous expression. "Ah. The nanny. The one who started all of this. If I can't break Luca's jaw, maybe I'll just take the thing he seems to care about."
He lunged.
Adrenaline flooded my veins. I didn't run away; I couldn't risk him finding Sofia in the greenhouse. I grabbed a heavy brass lamp from the nearest console table and swung it with all my might just as he reached me.
The brass connected with his shoulder, sending him staggering backward. I didn't wait for him to recover. I kicked him squarely in the knee with my good leg. He howled in pain, dropping the iron poker.
Before he could get back up, three of Luca's security guards rushed into the room, tackling Dominic to the floor and pinning his arms behind his back.
Marco ran in a second later, breathless. "Emma! Are you hurt?"
"No," I gasped, trembling now that the danger was over. "Is Sofia safe?"
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"She's with a guard in the greenhouse," Marco assured me, hauling Dominic to his feet by the collar. "The police are on their way. The perimeter alarm malfunctioned—inside job. We'll handle it."
I collapsed onto the nearest intact sofa, burying my face in my hands. The war had just gotten physical.
