Page 31 of Imminent Danger

Two men stormed into the room. The first was a burly figure with a menacing scowl, while the second was leaner but moved with a dangerous grace. Panic gripped Kaylie as recognition flickered in her mind–these were Paul's men, sent to reclaim Lia for him.

"Kaylie, you can't hide forever," the burly man sneered, a cruel smile playing on his lips. Rocco had always been a particular kind of nasty. "Paulie wants what's his."

The room felt like it was closing in on her. She clutched Lia tighter, her eyes darting between the two intruders. Anthony, however, stood firm, a shield against the approaching attackers.

"Stay behind me," he murmured to Kaylie, his voice low but filled with a quiet authority. She nodded, her trust in him unwavering, despite the unsettling change in his demeanor.

Rocco took a step forward, his eyes flashing toward Lia before they locked on Anthony, clearly the only one in the room he viewed as a threat. Lia whimpered and Kaylie tried to soothe her, whispering soft reassurances and hiding her daughter’s face in her own chest.

Anthony, however, remained focused on the approaching threat.

Without warning, Rocco lunged forward. Anthony moved with a speed that defied his apparent calmness. He intercepted the man with a swift, precise kick to the chest.

The impact sent the big man reeling backward. Rocco charged again, the two men grappling with each other. Anthony's movements were fluid, almost dance-like, as he effortlessly countered the burly man's aggression. Kaylie could hardly believe what she was witnessing. How was this the same person who had nursed her back to health? Anthony had shared laughter and conversation with her and given Lia a piggyback ride.

Yet, in that moment, Anthony seemed transformed. He’d turned and she could see his eyes, burning with a ferocity that sent shivers down her spine. He had tapped into a side of himself she had never seen before–dangerous and willing to protect at any cost.

The leaner man circled, eyeing Lia. Caruso was a snake, underhanded and sneaky. And ruthless. Paul liked to use him because people underestimated the short, unassuming man. Kaylie's instincts screamed at her to run, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the unfolding struggle between Anthony and Rocco.

A sudden lull in the chaos caught Kaylie off guard. Anthony, still holding his ground, looked at her and Lia. He had Rocco in a headlock. His eyes softened, and for a fleeting moment, she saw the familiar warmth that had drawn her to him in the first place. It felt like a promise that he would not let anything harm them.

But the danger wasn't over. Rocco landed a brutal hit to Anthony’s face, and Caruso seized the opportunity, lunging toward them. Panic surged through Kaylie, and she covered Lia’s body with her own. Before the man could reach them, Anthony intercepted him.

The room seemed to pulse around her as Anthony fought to protect them. In the blink of an eye, he disarmed Caruso, a glint of cold determination in his eyes. This wasn’t the same gentle, though gruff, man she had known.

Anthony held the weapon now and appeared completely in control as he let the gun rove over both of them. Caruso must have realized he was outmatched and took a step back. Rocco stared at Anthony, his partner’s gun currently pointed directly at him. Anthony met his gaze. There was a silent exchange between them, the burly man’s gaze shifting toward Kaylie and Lia huddled on the floor. Kaylie rocked her daughter, trying to shield her from the chaos around them.

Rocco sneered and moved toward them. Then the man flew backward, falling to the floor as a deafening sound blasted through the room. Rocco might have been dead, but Kaylie didn’t want to think about it. Caruso retreated as Anthony swung the gun toward him, disappearing down the hallway and through the damaged front door.

The room fell into an eerie stillness. Anthony's breathing was heavy, and he looked at Kaylie and Lia with a mix of concern and something else she couldn't quite decipher. The dreamy quality that had initially drawn her to him was now tinged with a layer of complexity she couldn't fully grasp.

"Are you both okay?" Anthony asked, his voice steady and unaffected. Kaylie nodded, still processing the whirlwind of events. Lia clung to her, wide-eyed but unharmed.

Anthony nodded, a worried expression on his face. Kaylie couldn't shake the feeling that she had witnessed a side of him he had kept hidden, a side that she now knew came from his darker past.

He quickly checked for a pulse on Rocco then stood. “I’ll be back,” he said before disappearing into the hallway, following the path Caruso had taken.

As she stood there, grappling with the aftermath of the attack, Kaylie knew one thing for certain–Anthony had just saved them, and she couldn't be more grateful. She just wondered why he seemed so conflicted about it. Did he wish she hadn’t come here after all?

Would he be in trouble for killing the intruder? Rocco hadn’t moved since he landed on the floor in a heap, a pool of blood still growing on the white carpet.

She rubbed Lia’s shoulders and made soothing sounds. Slowly, the ringing in her ears quieted, and she became aware of the cheerful notes of the cartoon theme song filling the otherwise quiet room. The dissonance of that sound and the events that had just occurred left her feeling a bit shaky.

Last night, she’d found out the man she’d turned to for help held secrets she was only beginning to uncover. Anthony harbored a hidden strength that could be both a shield and a weapon. And she had a feeling that she was going to need both if she was going to beat Paul Moreno.

She also couldn’t watch Anthony be forced to step back into the world he had so desperately clawed his way out of.

CHAPTER

EIGHTEEN

Tank fired two shots, grunting in dissatisfaction as they embedded in the body of the SUV instead of the wheels he’d been aiming for. He memorized the license plate as the vehicle sped away, careening toward the exit of the subdivision.

Every muscle was on edge, clenched in frustration and poised for action. But the threat was gone, at least temporarily. Kaylie and Lia were inside, along with the man he’d taken out. He snarled at the sheer audacity of this group to come into his home. The fact that they even knew Kaylie and Lia were here was a problem he’d have to deal with later. The number of people who knew that information was a decidedly short list. Unless Moreno was tracking them some other way.

Either way, they would pay for making Kaylie and Lia feel unsafe.

Although, he’d never forget the expression on her face when he’d taken out the threat.

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