Chapter 5 - BANISHED INTO THE NIGHT
The rain was freezing.
Sophia stumbled as the heavy iron gates of the Moretti estate clanged shut behind her. The sound echoed like a gunshot in the dark.
She had nothing but the clothes on her back, her purse, and the pink backpack, which the guards had unceremoniously tossed into the mud after emptying the pill bottles.
Emma was shivering violently, her tiny face buried in Sophia’s neck.
"Mama, cold," the toddler whimpered.
"I know, baby. I know," Sophia cried, wrapping her thin jacket around the child. "I've got you. Mama's got you."
They were miles from the nearest town. The winding, tree-lined roads of the North Shore were pitch black.
Sophia began to walk. Every step felt like lifting lead. Her mind was racing, replaying the horror in the dining room. Vivian had won. Vincent had framed her flawlessly.
And now, Isabella was inside that house, surrounded by wolves, her real medication gone, replaced by a poison that would slowly stop her fragile heart.
I have to warn him, Sophia thought frantically. I have to find a way to make Lorenzo see.
A pair of headlights cut through the darkness behind her.
Sophia gasped and dove into the thick brush lining the road, pulling Emma down into the wet leaves. She clamped a hand gently over Emma's mouth.
A black SUV slowed down, its tires hissing against the wet asphalt. It crept past them, the tinted windows rolled up. It was one of Vincent's cars.
He hadn't let them go. He was hunting them. He couldn't risk Sophia talking to anyone, especially not another capo or a rival family who might use the information to their advantage.
Sophia waited until the taillights disappeared before scrambling back onto the road. She couldn't stay here. She needed a phone. She needed a miracle.
Meanwhile, inside the estate, chaos was taking root.
Isabella was lying in her bed, refusing to speak. Her face was pale, her lips tinged with a terrifying shade of blue.
Lorenzo sat beside her, the small stethoscope in his hand.
"Listen to me, little bird," Lorenzo murmured, stroking her damp hair. "You have to take the medicine. Your heart is working too hard."
Isabella turned her face to the wall. "I want Emma."
"Emma is gone," Lorenzo said, his voice tightening. "Her mother did something very bad."
"No!" Isabella shouted, turning back to him, her eyes fierce despite her weakness. "She didn't! The bad man put them there!"
Lorenzo froze. "What bad man?"
"The one who smells like smoke," Isabella cried. "Vincent! I saw him in the hallway near Emma's room today! He lied, Papa!"
The breath left Lorenzo's lungs.
Vincent.
Isabella's breathing hitched. She grabbed her chest, her eyes widening in panic. "Papa, it hurts. It hurts."
"Medic!" Lorenzo roared, dropping the stethoscope. "Get in here now!"
The estate doctor rushed in, checking Isabella's vitals. "Her heart rate is dropping aggressively, Mr. Moretti. It doesn't make sense. We gave her the backup dosage from the safe half an hour ago."
Lorenzo looked at the backup bottle the doctor had used.
He grabbed it off the nightstand.
He remembered Sophia screaming as she was dragged away. Isabella is in danger! Watch Vivian!
Lorenzo walked out of the bedroom, his vision swimming with rage.
He walked down the hall to the security room. The head of security, a massive man named Marco who was fiercely loyal to Lorenzo, stood up.
"Marco," Lorenzo said, his voice deadly calm. "Pull the logs for the door locks in the staff quarters for today."
Marco typed rapidly. "The cameras were down, Boss, like Vincent said."
"I don't care about the cameras. Pull the electronic lock data. Who opened Sophia's door?"
A moment later, Marco swallowed hard. "Two entries. One was Sophia's keycard at 6:00 AM. The second was a master override code at 10:15 AM."
"Whose code?"
Marco looked up, terror in his eyes. "Vincent Russo, Boss."
The pieces slammed together with sickening clarity.
Vincent had planted the pills. Vivian had fueled the fire. They had framed the maid. And Isabella had been given poison.
Lorenzo didn't scream. He didn't break anything.
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He simply drew the customized 1911 pistol from his shoulder holster and racked the slide.
"Lock down the estate," Lorenzo ordered. "Nobody leaves. Nobody enters."
