Chapter 12 - BLOOD AND BULLETS
The next morning, the sprawling stone mansion felt less like a sanctuary and more like a military fortress.
Dmitri had tripled the security detail, placing armed snipers on the roof and locking down the main gates.
Lena did not spend her morning wandering the beautiful gardens or arranging flowers.
Instead, she stood in the underground shooting range, wearing tactical ear protection and gripping a black Glock 19.
Victor stood right behind her, his hands gently correcting her posture and adjusting her grip on the weapon.
"You need to widen your stance, Lena," Victor instructed, his chest pressed lightly against her back.
"If Ivan brings a war to our doorstep, I need to know you can defend yourself when I am not in the room."
Lena took a deep breath, focusing her eyes on the paper target positioned thirty feet away.
She remembered the helpless terror she felt when Leon's men had attacked the estate a week ago.
She swore to herself that she would never be that helpless, terrified girl ever again.
Lena squeezed the trigger, the loud crack echoing off the concrete walls as a hole appeared near the target's center.
"Better," Victor praised, stepping back to let her fire again.
"Hesitation will kill you out there, so you must pull the trigger with absolute certainty."
She fired three more times, the recoil feeling more natural with every single shot.
Suddenly, the heavy metal door to the shooting range swung open, and Dmitri rushed inside.
His face was pale, and he was holding a ringing cell phone in his hand.
"Boss, we have a massive problem," Dmitri shouted over the lingering ringing in their ears.
"Ivan didn't wait until midnight to make his first move."
Victor took the phone, his jaw clenching so hard that a muscle ticked in his cheek.
"What did they do?" Victor demanded, his voice freezing the air in the room.
"They hit the private academy," Dmitri said, looking apologetically at Lena.
"They tried to snatch Daniel on his way to his morning classes."
Lena dropped the gun onto the table, her entire world suddenly spinning out of control.
"Where is my brother?" she screamed, grabbing Dmitri by the collar of his shirt.
"He is safe," Dmitri promised quickly, gently prying her hands away.
"Our guards intercepted the kidnappers in the courtyard, but two of our men are dead."
Victor pulled Lena into his chest, holding her as a feral, violent anger ignited inside her soul.
"They went after my family," Lena whispered, her voice laced with a darkness she didn't know she possessed.
"I want them all dead, Victor."
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Victor looked down at his beautiful fiancée and saw a ruthless mafia queen finally awakening.
"Consider it done," Victor promised, racking the slide of his own weapon.
