Target acquired
Chapter 9
Target Acquired
Viktor Romano hated Lorenzo Vitale.
Passionately.
Professionally.
Personally.
The distinction no longer mattered.
For two years, Lorenzo had expanded the Vitale Family at an alarming rate.
Territory.
Businesses.
Political influence.
Everything the younger man touched seemed to grow.
Which was deeply irritating.
Because it should have been Viktor.
Not Lorenzo.
Never Lorenzo.
Yet here they were.
Viktor sat inside a penthouse office overlooking Chicago while photographs were spread across his desk.
Photographs taken less than an hour ago.
Photographs of Lorenzo.
Photographs of a woman.
Interesting photographs.
Very interesting photographs.
Viktor picked one up.
Studied it.
A beautiful Black woman sat across from Lorenzo at a candlelit dinner.
Dark skin.
Natural Afro.
Elegant posture.
Sharp eyes.
The kind of woman who looked intelligent.
Dangerous.
Expensive.
The type Lorenzo never bothered with.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
His phone rang.
The private investigator.
"Talk."
The investigator cleared his throat.
"The woman is Dr. Amara Queen."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
Viktor looked at the photograph again.
"Doctor?"
"Not just a doctor."
A pause.
Then:
"She's a genius."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The investigator continued.
"Graduated college at thirteen."
Another pause.
"Surgeon."
Another.
"Owns Queen Medical Center."
Another.
"No criminal record."
Viktor laughed.
Softly.
Dangerously.
"No criminal record just means she hasn't been caught."
The investigator wisely remained silent.
Smart man.
Very smart man.
Viktor stared at the photograph.
Then smiled.
Slowly.
The kind of smile that ruined lives.
Because everyone had weaknesses.
Everyone.
Lorenzo's father had weaknesses.
Viktor had exploited them.
Other bosses had weaknesses.
Viktor had exploited those too.
Nobody was immune.
Not kings.
Not politicians.
Not saints.
And certainly not Lorenzo Vitale.
The younger man had finally made a mistake.
A beautiful mistake.
A breathing mistake.
A doctor-shaped mistake.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Across the city, completely unaware of the danger heading her way...
Amara Queen was arguing with Lorenzo.
Again.
The dinner had ended twenty minutes earlier.
The drive back to her clinic had been surprisingly pleasant.
Until Lorenzo ruined everything.
Naturally.
"You're not walking inside alone."
Silence.
Immediate silence.
Amara stared.
Then stared harder.
The man had parked outside her clinic but refused to unlock the doors.
An act of war.
Possibly terrorism.
The distinction no longer mattered.
"I've been walking into buildings by myself my entire life."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
The audacity.
The complete audacity.
Amara crossed her arms.
Immediately.
"Open the door."
Lorenzo looked entirely too calm.
Entirely too comfortable.
Entirely too handsome.
A recurring problem.
"No."
The betrayal.
The one-word betrayal.
Undefeated.
Amara narrowed her eyes.
Dangerously.
The mafia don remained unimpressed.
Also irritating.
A serious flaw.
"Someone tried to kill one of my captains last week."
Silence.
His tone had changed.
Subtly.
Enough to matter.
Business.
Serious business.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Lorenzo continued.
"Another one three days ago."
A pause.
Then:
"I don't take chances."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Amara studied him.
Really studied him.
The concern was genuine.
Unexpectedly genuine.
The realization surprised her.
A little.
Maybe more than a little.
Because nobody worried about her.
Not like this.
Not ever.
She'd been taking care of herself since childhood.
The concept felt foreign.
Dangerously foreign.
Finally she sighed.
Immediately.
The universal sign of surrender.
Again.
An alarming trend.
Lorenzo smiled.
Immediately.
The traitor.
The complete traitor.
The man stepped out first.
Then opened her door.
Like a gentleman.
A heavily tattooed mafia gentleman.
Life was weird.
Very weird.
They walked toward the clinic entrance together.
The city remained quiet.
Peaceful.
Ordinary.
A lie.
An absolute lie.
Because violence always existed beneath the surface.
Waiting.
Watching.
Hunting.
Amara reached the entrance first.
She turned.
Preparing a sarcastic comment.
Naturally.
Then stopped.
Immediately.
Because Lorenzo's expression changed.
Completely.
The transformation happened in less than a second.
Warmth vanished.
Humor vanished.
Everything vanished.
Predator.
Pure predator.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The mafia don moved.
Fast.
Far faster than someone his size should've been able to move.
His arm wrapped around her waist.
Pulled her backward.
Hard.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then—
CRACK.
Glass exploded.
A bullet shattered the clinic door exactly where her head had been.
Chaos erupted.
Immediately.
People screamed.
Car alarms triggered.
The world exploded into motion.
Lorenzo shoved her behind a concrete support column.
Cover.
Protection.
Safety.
The gunshot echoed through the street.
Then another.
Then another.
The attack had begun.
And unfortunately for whoever had ordered it...
They had just made the biggest mistake of their lives.
Because one thing Lorenzo Vitale did not share.
Was Dr. Amara Queen.
End Chapter 9