Part 5
Lucia didn't have time to process the truth about her sister.
The maternal instinct inside her took over.
Her boys were in danger.
She ran into the twins' bedroom.
Matteo and Leo were sitting on the floor, looking anxious.
"Pack your favorite toys in your backpacks, boys. Quickly," she told them.
Tomaso entered the small bedroom behind her.
His massive frame filled the doorway.
The twins looked up at him, wide-eyed.
Leo, the braver of the two, stood up.
He walked right up to Tomaso and pointed at the heavy gun visible beneath his suit jacket.
"Are you a policeman?"
Tomaso looked down at the boy.
A rare, genuine smile touched the corners of his lips.
It softened his harsh features completely.
He knelt down on one knee, bringing himself to the boy's eye level.
"No, little one," Tomaso said softly.
"I am someone who protects the people I love."
"Are you going to protect Mommy?" Matteo asked from the bed.
Tomaso looked up at Lucia, his eyes locking onto hers with an unspoken promise.
"With my life," he vowed.
"We have to go," one of Tomaso's men whispered from the living room doorway.
"Boss, they are at the end of the block."
Tomaso stood up instantly.
The warmth vanished, replaced by deadly efficiency.
He grabbed Leo's backpack, while Lucia grabbed Matteo's.
"Stay close to me," Tomaso ordered Lucia.
He pulled his weapon from its holster, the silencer already attached.
They walked out of the apartment, leaving behind the quiet life Lucia had built.
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As they hurried down the back fire escape, the distant sound of screeching tires echoed through the quiet Portuguese night.
The war had found them.
