CHAPTER 3 — THE PRICE ON HER HEAD
Three weeks changed everything.
Leo laughed again.
He slept through the night.
He even began speaking in short sentences.
The DeLuca penthouse, once filled with broken glass and frightened staff, echoed with the sound of a little boy chasing toy trains across the marble floor.
Even Matteo had changed.
He smiled more.
Worked less.
Sometimes he simply sat in silence, watching Camryn and Leo build wooden block towers together.
He never interfered.
He was afraid the magic would disappear.
But not everyone welcomed the change.
Across the river, inside a luxury penthouse in Brooklyn, Vincent Moretti stared at a photograph of Camryn.
The rival Mafia boss smiled coldly.
"So..."
"She healed the DeLuca heir."
One of his men nodded.
"Without her, the boy falls apart."
Vincent leaned back.
"Then she's no longer a maid."
"She's leverage."
Two nights later...
Camryn left Mount Sinai Hospital after visiting her mother.
Rain poured across Manhattan.
She never saw the black SUV until it screeched beside her.
Masked men rushed out.
One hand clamped over her mouth.
Another grabbed her arms.
Within seconds...
She disappeared into the darkness.
Back at the penthouse...
Leo woke screaming.
He had never screamed like that since meeting Camryn.
He ran through every hallway.
"Camryn!"
"Camryn!"
The entire residence erupted into chaos.
Matteo looked at the empty security monitor.
Then his phone vibrated.
One message.
One photograph.
Camryn sat tied to a chair.
Behind her stood armed men.
The text beneath the image contained only one sentence.
Trade your empire...
Or bury the girl your son calls family.
Matteo's expression became terrifyingly calm.
Every man in the room lowered his eyes.
Because they recognized that face.
It was the face he wore before declaring war.