Chapter 7 - THE PRICE OF LOYALTY
"EMMA!"
Luca’s roar of fury echoed off the stone walls of the facility, drowning out the sound of the rain.
Before Marcus could squeeze the trigger a second time, Luca whipped his own pistol from his shoulder holster with terrifying speed. Two rapid shots cracked through the night air.
Marcus's gun flew from his hand as a bullet shattered his wrist. He screamed, dropping to his knees and clutching his bloody arm.
The three mercenaries behind him tried to raise their rifles, but a deafening roar from the dark driveway cut them off.
The heavy armored SUV came crashing through the facility's chain-link security gate, its headlights blinding the guards as Mrs. Russo slammed on the horn and plowed straight toward the courtyard.
The SUV skidded to a halt inches from the tower wall.
The passenger door flew open, and ten-year-old Leo poked his head out, his face white with terror. "Big brother! Get in!"
Luca didn't hesitate. He grabbed Marcus by the collar of his trench coat, hauled the bleeding, screaming man to his feet, and threw him face-first into the mud.
"If you ever come near my family again," Luca whispered, pressing the cold barrel of his gun against the back of Marcus's neck, "I won't just take your money. I'll take everything."
Luca turned and sprinted toward the SUV, scooping me up into his arms before I could even stagger to my feet.
He tossed me into the backseat beside Mrs. Moretti and Mrs. Russo, climbed into the driver's seat, and slammed the accelerator to the floor.
The tires shrieked against the wet asphalt as the SUV tore out of the facility, leaving Marcus cursing in the mud behind us.
Inside the back of the speeding vehicle, the air was thick with the smell of rain, gunsmoke, and adrenaline.
"Emma! Let me see your shoulder," Mrs. Russo said frantically, grabbing a clean linen napkin from her bag and pressing it against my torn jacket sleeve.
I winced as a wave of sharp pain shot through my arm, but I forced a weak smile. "I'm okay, Mrs. Russo. Just a graze."
"You took a bullet for my son," a soft, trembling voice said from beside me.
I turned my head.
Mrs. Moretti was looking at me with tears streaming down her pale cheeks, her frail hands gently covering mine. "Thank you. Thank you for keeping my boy alive when everyone else turned their backs on him."
"She saved us all," little Leo whispered, sliding across the seat to lean his head against my uninjured shoulder. I wrapped my good arm around him, pulling him close as he shivered.
In the driver's seat, Luca’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror.
There were no words exchanged—just a long, heavy look filled with a depth of gratitude and unspoken emotion that made my heart race faster than the speeding car.
"We're heading to the safehouse in Lake Geneva," Luca announced, his voice tight and steady. "Marcus and Vanessa are finished. By sunrise, the federal marshals will have seized every asset they own. But until then... we stay hidden."
Nobody spoke for the rest of the drive.
The miles rolled by in silence, the storm gradually clearing to reveal a pale, bruised dawn breaking over the horizon.
When the SUV finally turned down a private, tree-lined driveway leading to a secluded stone lodge overlooking the misty waters of Lake Geneva, I felt a strange sense of peace settle over my tired bones.
We had survived the night.
But as Luca parked the car and killed the engine, my phone—which had been resting quietly in my pocket—suddenly buzzed against my leg.
I pulled it out.
It was a text message from an unknown number, sent just two minutes ago.
Nice try, Emma. But Vanessa left you a parting gift in Chicago. Check the basement of the Moretti mansion before you think you've won.
My blood ran cold.
I looked up just as Luca opened my car door, extending a large, warm hand to help me out.
May you like
"What is it, Emma?" he asked, noticing the color drain from my face.
Before I could show him the screen, a distant, muffled explosion echoed from the direction of the Chicago estate, turning the morning sky miles away a faint, sickly shade of orange.
