Chapter 10 - ASHES TO DUST
The aftermath was a blur of calculated efficiency. Alessandro’s men scrubbed the pier, leaving no trace of the violence. The Moretti family, having lost their star accountant and the promise of their missing fifty million, fell into chaotic infighting. Without David to fund their war, Alessandro easily dismantled their command structure over the following weeks, absorbing their territories and stabilizing the city's underworld.
But I didn't care about the mafia politics. I sat in a private wing of a different hospital, holding a sleeping Logan, watching a different heart monitor.
Alessandro was resting in the bed, recovering from the bullet he took to the shoulder for me. He looked pale, exhausted, but the hard, guarded edge that usually defined his features had softened.
“You didn’t have to take that bullet,” I said quietly, gently stroking Logan’s hair.
Alessandro turned his head, his dark eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. “I told you, Catherine. I protect what is mine. You and the boy... you are under my protection. Always.”
I swallowed hard, the weight of his words settling deep in my chest. He wasn't just talking about mafia honor. He was talking about something far more profound, something that terrified me and thrilled me all at once. “I’m not a mafia wife, Alessandro. I’m a mother. I just want a normal life for my son.”
May you like
A small, genuine smile touched his lips. “I know. I have enough money from the ledger to legitimize the entire organization. No more guns. No more blood. Just shipping contracts and real estate. It will take time, but I am done with the shadows. I want to build something in the light. With you.”
He reached out, his large, calloused hand resting gently on my knee. I didn't pull away. I placed my hand over his, feeling the steady, reassuring pulse of his heartbeat. We were two broken people from entirely different worlds, bound together by a dead man’s betrayal and a love we had forged in the fire.
