Chapter 44
The bright, cinematic sunshine of the eastern gardens offered absolutely no shadows to hide within. Evelyn was sitting on a plush blanket with Ruby when she heard the heavy, unnatural crunch of combat boots on the gravel path. She looked up, her fair, rosy complexion instantly draining of color. Three men, dressed in counterfeit uniforms but carrying suppressed automatic weapons, stepped through the pristine white canopies. They were Cassano mercenaries, hungry for vengeance. Evelyn did not scream. She moved with a sudden, fierce surge of protective adrenaline. She grabbed four-year-old Ruby and pulled the child entirely behind her own body, using her frame as an impenetrable human shield. "Don't you dare take another step," Evelyn commanded, her American accent ringing with absolute, terrifying defiance. She picked up heavy gardening shears from the grass, brandishing them like a weapon. The lead mercenary laughed, raising his rifle and aiming directly at her chest. "You are just a tutor, sweetheart," the man sneered cruelly. "Step aside, and we might let you live. We only want Falcone's kid." "You will have to kill me first," Evelyn promised softly, completely prepared to die to protect the bloodline.
