Chapter 6 - Shadows from the Past
The fragile peace shattered on the night of the autumn gala. It was a mandatory appearance for the city's elite, and Santiago insisted Ruby attend as Sophia’s chaperone.
Ruby wore an emerald green gown that left Santiago momentarily speechless when she descended the stairs. He offered her his arm, his jaw tight. "Stay close to me tonight."
The gala was held in a massive, glass-walled ballroom overlooking the city. The champagne flowed, but Santiago’s instincts were screaming. His uncle, Carlo—his father’s oldest confidant—kept eyeing Ruby with a suspicious glare.
At 11:00 PM, the lights went out.
Not a flicker. A total, plunging blackout.
The crowd gasped. Then, the first gunshot shattered the glass ceiling.
Panic erupted. Screams echoed as people scrambled in the dark.
"Sophia!" Santiago roared, drawing his weapon.
A flashlight beam pierced the darkness, attached to the barrel of an assault rifle, scanning the crowd. The red laser dot settled directly on Sophia’s chest.
Before Santiago could move, a blur of emerald green tackled Sophia to the marble floor. Ruby.
The sniper fired. The bullet shattered the pillar right where Sophia’s head had been a second before.
"Move!" Ruby screamed, dragging Sophia behind a heavy mahogany bar.
Three armed men flooded the ballroom floor, moving with tactical precision. Santiago fired, taking down two, but the third flanked him, raising a shotgun.
Suddenly, a silver butter knife flashed through the dim emergency lights. It buried itself to the hilt in the third gunman’s neck. He dropped like a stone.
Santiago spun around. Ruby was standing up from a crouch, her chest heaving, the skirt of her gown torn to allow her to move. She looked at the dead man, then at Santiago, her eyes wide with shock at her own muscle memory.
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A maid didn't throw a knife like that. A Romano did.
"Get her to the car," Santiago ordered, his voice brooking no argument. He turned his attention to the surviving sniper on the balcony. He needed one alive. He needed a name.
