Six nurses had quit in five days before I walked into Dominic Rossi’s bedroom and found blood soaking through Egyptian cotton sheets. Everyone warned me the wounded mafia boss was determined to bleed himself to death, but with rent due Monday and almost nothing left in my bank account, fear had become a luxury I could no longer afford.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Heavy combat boots hit the grand foyer floor. Marcus Vance’s voice rang out through the open stairwell, loud, arrogant, and dripping with premature triumph.

“Clear the lower level! Find Dominic’s room! If he’s already dead, I want his head on a spike to prove to the council that the dynasty is mine!”

I stood frozen beside the master suite door, my hand resting on the heavy brass handle. Behind me, Dominic lay motionless on the bed, looking every bit the fallen king.

Footsteps rushed up the grand staircase. Two of Marcus’s mercenaries, clad in tactical black vests and carrying submachine guns, burst onto the second-floor landing.

They didn't check the corners. They didn't sweep the perimeter. They were blinded by arrogance, expecting an easy kill. Leo was waiting for them.

From the shadows of the cross-hallway, a silenced pistol thwacked twice. Both mercenaries dropped instantly, collapsing onto the Persian rug without firing a single shot.

“Clear!” Leo’s voice hissed through our encrypted earpieces.

“They’re heading for the master suite,” I whispered back into my collar mic, my heart hammering against my ribs. “Marcus is right behind them.”

Suddenly, heavy footsteps approached the double doors of the master suite.

The doorknob turned.

My breath caught in my throat. I stepped back into the shadows near the bathroom door, gripping a heavy metal IV pole like a baseball bat.

The door swung wide open.

Marcus Vance stepped into the dimly lit room. He looked immaculate, wearing a tailored charcoal suit that remained spotless despite the raid. A cold, sadistic grin spread across his face as he spotted the figure lying motionless on the bed, surrounded by blood-soaked sheets.

“Well, well, well,” Marcus sneered, walking slowly toward the bed, his handgun raised. “Look at the great Dominic Rossi. Reduced to a bloody carcass in a rented bed.”

Marcus raised his weapon, aiming directly at Dominic’s chest.

“Say goodbye, cousin.”

Click.

Before Marcus could pull the trigger, Dominic’s eyes snapped open.

In one fluid, blindingly fast motion, Dominic rolled off the bed, sweeping his legs out from under Marcus with brutal efficiency. Marcus hit the hardwood floor with a heavy crash, his gun flying across the room.

Before Marcus could even scream, Dominic was straddling his chest, his left arm locked tightly around Marcus’s throat, pressing down with bone-crushing pressure.

“You missed, Marcus,” Dominic growled, his voice vibrating with suppressed fury.

Marcus clawed frantically at Dominic’s arms, gasping for air, his face turning purple. “D-Dominic… wait… we can… deal…”

“There is no deal,” Dominic whispered, his eyes flashing with lethal intent.

Before Dominic could snap his traitorous cousin's neck, the bedroom door burst open again. Three more mercenaries rushed in, weapons raised, ready to ventilate the room.

I didn't think.

I grabbed the heavy glass bottle of intravenous saline off my tray and hurled it with every ounce of my strength straight into the face of the lead gunman. It shattered against his tactical helmet with a blinding explosion of glass and liquid, blinding him instantly.

As he stumbled backward, knocking his comrades into a tangled pile in the doorway, Leo appeared behind them with a heavy-duty riot-suppression taser, firing dual darts directly into their chests.

All three dropped to the floor, twitching violently before passing out cold.

The room fell dead silent once more, save for Marcus’s ragged, desperate gasps for air beneath Dominic.

Dominic slowly released his grip, letting Marcus slump unconscious onto the floor. Then, he stood up slowly, pressing a hand against his side where his stitches throbbed under the pressure of the fight.