The Devil Behind the Door

“…Roman.”

The name hit me like a bucket of ice water.

For a second, nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

The reinforced door shook again.

A loud metallic boom echoed through the safe room.

Bianca gasped beside me.

“What is he doing here?”

Alessio didn’t answer.

His attention remained fixed on the door.

Every muscle in his body had gone rigid.

Predatory.

Dangerous.

Like a wolf preparing to attack.

Another bang.

Harder this time.

The steel groaned.

I swallowed.

My heart was beating so fast it hurt.

Roman Romano wasn’t supposed to be outside the safe room.

He was supposed to be downstairs.

Helping secure the mansion.

Helping stop the attack.

Instead…

He was here.

Trying to get inside.

Something wasn’t right.

Something was very, very wrong.

“Alessio,” I whispered.

His jaw tightened.

“Stay behind me.”

That wasn’t an answer.

“Alessio.”

His eyes flicked toward mine.

And what I saw there terrified me.

Fear.

Not for himself.

For me.

Then it disappeared.

Gone so quickly I almost thought I imagined it.

Another crash shook the room.

The lock rattled violently.

Bianca let out a frightened cry.

“Open the door,” Roman called again.

His voice sounded calm.

Too calm.

“Now.”

Alessio laughed.

The sound was cold.

Humorless.

Deadly.

“No.”

Silence.

Then Roman sighed.

“I wasn’t asking.”

My stomach twisted.

The room suddenly felt too small.

Too hot.

Too dangerous.

Alessio stepped closer to the door.

Gun still raised.

“You shouldn’t have come here.”

A pause.

Then Roman answered.

“Neither should she.”

My blood ran cold.

She.

Me.

He was talking about me.

Alessio’s expression darkened instantly.

“You don’t say her name.”

The possessiveness in his voice sent a strange shiver down my spine.

Even now.

Even during this nightmare.

He was thinking about me.

Outside the door, Roman laughed softly.

“Interesting.”

Another silence.

Then—

“I’ve never seen you like this before.”

Alessio said nothing.

Roman continued.

“You’re making emotional decisions.”

“Leave.”

“You’re putting her above the family.”

“Leave.”

“You’re putting her above the business.”

“Roman.”

This time Alessio’s voice sounded lethal.

A warning.

The kind that came before bloodshed.

I exchanged a nervous glance with Bianca.

She looked just as confused as I felt.

What was happening?

Why were they talking like enemies?

Weren’t they family?

The silence stretched.

Then Roman spoke again.

And this time his words changed everything.

“You think the attack tonight was about Dante?”

My heart stopped.

Alessio froze.

Just for a second.

But I saw it.

Roman laughed softly.

“You still haven’t figured it out.”

The room felt colder.

Much colder.

“What are you talking about?” Alessio demanded.

“Think.”

Silence.

“Think very carefully.”

I looked between them.

Completely lost.

Then Roman said quietly—

“The bullet wasn’t meant for Dante.”

My breath caught.

Bianca went pale.

The room spun.

No.

No way.

Roman continued.

“Your future father-in-law simply happened to be standing in the wrong place.”

Alessio’s face went completely blank.

And somehow that was more frightening than anger.

Because blank meant calculating.

Blank meant dangerous.

Blank meant someone was about to die.

“The target,” Roman said calmly.

“Was Lucia.”

The world stopped.

My knees nearly gave out beneath me.

Me?

No.

That wasn’t possible.

Why would anyone want me dead?

I wasn’t important.

I wasn’t a mafia leader.

I wasn’t involved in business.

I wasn’t—

“Liar,” Alessio growled.

Roman ignored him.

“Ask yourself a question.”

Silence.

“If the Russians wanted Dante dead, why shoot his shoulder?”

Nobody answered.

Because nobody could.

The logic was horrifying.

The shot should have killed him.

Instead it barely missed his heart.

Like it wasn’t intended for him at all.

My pulse thundered in my ears.

Suddenly every moment from tonight flashed through my mind.

The engagement announcement.

Roman choosing me.

Alessio claiming me.

The attack.

The timing.

Everything.

And then—

A terrifying realization hit me.

Someone knew.

Someone knew Alessio wanted me.

Someone knew I mattered.

And they decided to use me against him.

A loud crack suddenly echoed through the room.

The steel door split slightly down the center.

Bianca screamed.

The lock was failing.

Alessio raised his weapon immediately.

“Get behind the table.”

Neither of us argued.

We moved instantly.

The crack widened.

Metal groaned.

Another hit.

Another.

Another.

The reinforced door was breaking.

And then Roman’s voice came one last time.

Calm.

Cold.

Certain.

“Open the door willingly, Alessio.”

A pause.

Then—

“Or I’ll tell Lucia who really ordered her uncle’s death.”

My blood froze.

My uncle’s death?

What?

I stared at the door in horror.

And for the first time all night—

I saw genuine shock on Alessio’s face.