It moved about an inch into the wall.

A deep, metallic click echoed from deep within the chimney.

The sound was quiet, but in the tense silence of the room, it was distinct.

Leo’s head snapped toward me.

“What are you doing?” he demanded, his gun swinging from Silvio to point directly at my chest.

My breath caught in my throat.

“Clara, drop!” Dominic yelled.

The heavy oak doors of the study began to creak open again.

A cold draft swept into the room, smelling of rain and wet earth.

The phone on the desk lit up once more, the screen flashing a final, bright alert.

I hit the Persian rug hard, wrapping my body around Luca and Liana.

The first gunshot cracked through the room, deafening in the enclosed space.

Plaster exploded from the wall just above my head, raining white dust down on my hair and the babies’ blankets.

Luca let out a sharp, terrified cry.

I squeezed them tighter against my ribs, digging my knees into the floor.

“Silvio, cover her!” Dominic roared, his voice thick with pain and desperation.