Crispin opened his gift only for his cousin Aldric to dump a box of greasy napkins and rotting scraps across his chest

The gunman let out an involuntary hiss of pain, his aim jerking an inch to the right as his reflex pulled his hand back.

That single inch was all Romina needed.

Her Glock barked twice in the enclosed space of the library.

The first heavy hollow-point round tore through the gunman’s right shoulder, obliterating the collarbone and sending his weapon clattering harmlessly against the mahogany desk. The second round struck him squarely in the center of his forehead.

The impact drove the man backward into the heavy velvet drapes, ripping them from their brass rings as he collapsed in a tangled heap of fabric and blood.

Etta hit the carpet with a soft thud, rolling onto her hands and knees.

Before the echoes of the gunshots could fade, Romina had crossed the room. She dropped to her knees, sweeping both children into her arms with crushing, desperate ferocity. She buried her face into Crispin’s clean collar, her fingers tangling into Etta’s curls, her entire body trembling with the aftershocks of sheer, primal adrenaline.

"I’ve got you," Romina whispered, her voice breaking for the first time that day, tears burning against her rosy cheeks. "I’ve got you both. It’s over. Mommy’s here."

"I bit him, Mom," Crispin gasped against her neck, his small chest heaving, his fingers clutching the wool of her suit jacket until his knuckles turned chalk-white. "I didn't let him take Etta."

"You were perfect, Crispin," Romina choked out, kissing his forehead, then kissing Etta’s wet, tear-streaked face. "You were an absolute lion."

Etta clung to her mother’s blouse, sobbing into her silk collar, her little body shaking like a leaf in an autumn gale.

Renzo burst through the doorway, his carbine raised, followed by two capos with drawn sidearms. He skidded to a halt at the sight of the dead man tangled in the drapes, then looked at Romina kneeling on the floor with her children.

"Perimeter is secure, Boss," Renzo breathed, lowering his barrel. "The remaining two shooters on the lawn were neutralized by Giacomo’s team. No casualties on our side, except Donald."

Romina did not look up immediately. She held her children for three more deep, steady breaths, centering herself, locking away the terrified mother and bringing the sovereign ruler of the Bellamere family back to the surface.

When she finally stood, her face was carved from granite once more.

"Take Crispin and Etta to the panic vault beneath the east wing," Romina commanded, handing her daughter gently to Renzo. "Double-lock the reinforced steel. No one enters except you, Renzo. If anyone else approaches that vault without my explicit authorization, kill them where they stand."

"On my life, Boss," Renzo said, gathering the weeping little girl into his arms while Crispin walked beside him, his small hand resting bravely on his sister’s back.

Romina watched them disappear down the hallway.