The Glass Shatters At Table Nine

"Silas?" Elena asked, grabbing Leo and pulling him away from the window. "I thought the Costas kidnapped him."

"They did," Lorenzo said, racking the slide of his weapon. "Which means Silas sold his own blood to our enemies to take my seat at the table."

The megaphone blared again.

"Ten seconds, Enzo! Or we burn the cabin with you in it!"

Lorenzo looked around the tiny loft. There was a small ventilation hatch at the back, leading out to the sloped roof.

"Take the boy," Lorenzo ordered, shoving his spare magazine into Elena's hand. "Go out the hatch. Slide down the roof. There's a ravine fifty yards back. Run and don't stop."

"What about you?" Elena demanded.

"I'm going to give you a distraction," Lorenzo said. He looked at Leo. "Be brave, piccolo. Listen to Elena."

"Uncle Enzo, no!" Leo cried.

"Go!" Lorenzo roared, pushing them toward the hatch.

Elena didn't argue. Survival was a language she spoke fluently.

She kicked the rusty hatch open, grabbed Leo by his sweater, and pulled him out into the freezing rain. They slid down the slippery wooden shingles, dropping onto the muddy ground behind the cabin.

Inside, gunfire erupted.

Deafening, rapid, terrifying. Lorenzo was shooting through the floorboards.

Elena grabbed Leo's hand and sprinted toward the tree line.

"Keep your head down!" she yelled over the storm.

Men were shouting. Flashlights cut through the woods like lasers.

They reached the edge of the ravine. The slope was steep, slick with mud and dead leaves.

Suddenly, a heavy hand grabbed Elena’s shoulder, spinning her around.

A massive man in a dark raincoat stood over her, raising a gun.

Elena didn't scream. She remembered her father’s voice. Notice hands. Use their momentum.

She dropped her weight, grabbed the man’s wrist, and twisted hard, driving her heel into his kneecap.

The man howled, the gun firing wildly into the trees. He tumbled backward, crashing down the ravine.

Elena stood up, gasping for air.

"Good move, El."

Elena froze.

The voice came from the darkness directly in front of her.

A figure stepped out from behind an oak tree.

He was older, his hair graying, a deep scar cutting through his left eyebrow. He was holding a silenced pistol, his breathing labored.

"Dad?" Elena whispered, her legs suddenly feeling weak.

Frank Vance looked at his daughter. His eyes were tired, filled with a decade of regret.

"I told you to aim for the throat, not the knee," Frank rasped, giving a weak half-smile. "But you did good."

"Frank!" Leo yelled, breaking away from Elena and hugging Frank's leg.

Frank patted the boy's head. "Hey, kid. Kept your head down like I said?"

"Yes!"

Elena stared at the man who had abandoned her. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to hug him.

"You left me," she choked out.

"I left you so you could live," Frank said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy silver pocket watch. He pressed it into Elena's palm.

The glass was cracked, but the face was clean.

"The Costas have a tracker on me," Frank said, his voice tightening. "They injected it into my shoulder a month ago when I tried to negotiate for Leo. I can't run with you. They'll follow me."

"No," Elena said, gripping the watch. "We are leaving together."

"Listen to me," Frank grabbed her shoulders, his eyes fierce. "There is a locker key inside the back casing of that watch. It opens a locker at Grand Central. There's money, new passports for you and the boy. You take it, and you run."

"I'm not leaving you to die!"

"I'm already dead, El," Frank smiled sadly. He unzipped his jacket.

Elena gasped. His shirt was soaked in blood. He had been shot before he even arrived.

Behind them, the cabin suddenly erupted in a massive fireball.

Silas’s men had thrown a grenade.

"Lorenzo!" Elena screamed, turning toward the flames.

Frank grabbed her arm. "Enzo is out. I saw him break through the cellar. He's flanking them. But you need to go. Now."

Frank pushed her toward the darkness of the woods.

"Tell Enzo I kept my promise," Frank whispered.

Then, Frank turned and walked back toward the burning cabin, raising his gun, ready to draw the fire away from his daughter.

Elena wanted to scream, but Leo's tiny hand tugged at hers.

"We have to run, Elena," the little boy said, tears streaming down his dirt-streaked face.