Chapter 5 - THE TORN PHOTOGRAPH
The dust hung heavy in the air, illuminated by the harsh red lasers of Marco’s men.
Mia instinctively wrapped her body around Lily, pressing the little girl into the corner behind the shipping crates, burying the child’s face in her chest so she couldn’t see the guns.
Luca didn’t raise his weapon. He knew the math. One pistol against twelve assault rifles was suicide. He stood tall, his posture projecting an absolute, terrifying calm that he didn’t feel.
“Marco,” Luca said, his voice echoing in the ruined warehouse. “You look well for a dead man.”
Marco chuckled, a rich, warm sound that made Luca’s stomach turn. It was the laugh that had comforted him as a child. “I’m far from dead, Luca. But you? You’re having a very bad night.”
Enzo stood to Luca’s left, his hands raised in surrender. “You won’t get away with this, Marco. The Commission will see through the lie.”
“The Commission only sees what I show them, Enzo,” Marco said, dismissing the bartender with a wave of his hand. He stepped closer, his expensive shoes crunching on the broken concrete. He stopped ten feet from Luca. “And right now, they see a rogue boss who lost his mind, kidnapped an innocent waitress, and started a war. By morning, I’ll be the Don. You’ll be a tragic casualty.”
“You killed my mother,” Luca stated. It wasn’t a question.
Marco’s smile faded just a fraction. “I did what was necessary to preserve the empire. Your father was weak, paranoid. He was going to burn the family to the ground over a suspected affair. I just gave him the push he needed.”
“And Mia’s father?” Luca asked, his eyes darting to the men surrounding them, memorizing their positions.
“Ah, the accountant,” Marco sighed. “He was supposed to be a loyal dog. Instead, he stole the girl and ran. He’s been a thorn in my side for twenty years. But he’s no longer a problem.”
Mia gasped, her heart stopping. “What did you do to him?”
Marco looked at Mia, feigning pity. “I’m sorry, my dear. He was very stubborn. He refused to tell me where the little girl was. So, I had to put him down.”
A high, piercing scream ripped from Lily’s throat. She tore away from Mia’s grip, stepping out from behind the crates. “Liar! My daddy isn’t dead! He promised he’d come back!”
Marco’s eyes locked onto the seven-year-old. His gaze was cold and analytical, like a snake evaluating a mouse. “There she is. The little vault.”
Marco held out his hand. “Bring her to me.”
Two large men in tactical gear stepped forward.
“No!” Mia screamed, lunging to grab Lily.
But Luca moved faster.
He didn’t pull his gun. Instead, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a heavy, block-shaped device. His thumb hovered over a red detonator button.
“Stop right there,” Luca roared, his voice carrying the full, terrifying weight of the Moretti Don.
The two men froze. Marco’s eyes narrowed.
“What is that, Luca?” Marco asked cautiously.
“You think I came to a safehouse without insurance?” Luca lied effortlessly. “This entire warehouse is rigged with C4, Marco. Built into the pillars. I press this button, and the roof comes down on all of us. You, me, your men. Nobody leaves.”
Marco stared at him. He was calculating the bluff. Luca was known for being ruthless, but suicidal?
“You won’t kill the girls,” Marco said smoothly.
“Watch me,” Luca said, his thumb pressing down slightly. A small green light on the device turned red, emitting a high-pitched beep.
The tactical men took a step back, their discipline faltering.
“Drop the rifles,” Luca ordered.
Marco held his hand up, signaling his men to hold steady. “You’re bluffing.”
“Am I?” Luca said, his eyes burning with absolute conviction. “You killed my mother. You just told me you killed my father. I have nothing left to lose, Marco. Give the order, or we all burn together.”
For ten agonizing seconds, the only sound was the harsh breathing of the men in the room.
Then, Lily did something unexpected.
She walked slowly toward Luca, her small sneakers silent on the concrete. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a torn, faded photograph.
She held it up to Luca.
“Daddy said to give this to you,” Lily whispered loudly enough for the whole room to hear. “He said you would know what to do.”
Luca didn’t take his eyes off Marco, but he snatched the photo from the girl’s hand.
He glanced down at it.
It was a picture of a younger Marco, standing next to a man Luca didn’t recognize. But on the back of the photo, in frantic handwriting, were three numbers.
11-15-99.
The date Luca’s mother was killed.
But it wasn't just a date.
Luca’s mind snapped the pieces together. It was a lock combination. The combination to the heavy steel door directly behind Marco’s men—the old freight elevator.
“Enzo,” Luca whispered without moving his lips. “The freight elevator. Is it active?”
“Yes,” Enzo breathed back.
Luca looked back at Marco. He smiled, a cold, predatory grin.
“You’re right, Marco,” Luca said. “I’m not going to kill the girls.”
Luca didn’t press the detonator. Instead, he threw the heavy device straight at Marco’s face.
It wasn’t a detonator. It was a spare radio battery.
Marco flinched, throwing his arms up.
“NOW!” Luca roared.
He drew his pistol and fired three shots in rapid succession, taking out the floodlights Marco’s men had set up. The warehouse plunged into absolute darkness.
“Get them!” Marco screamed in the pitch black.
Gunfire erupted, wild and blind. Muzzle flashes strobed like lightning.
Luca grabbed Lily with his left arm, hoisting her onto his hip, and grabbed Mia’s hand with his right. He ran blindly toward the back of the room. Enzo covered their retreat, firing precisely into the dark.
They hit the heavy steel door of the freight elevator.
Luca spun the combination dial in the dark, his fingers flying by pure muscle memory. 11. 15. 99.
The heavy latch clicked.
He shoved the door open. “Inside! Go!”
Mia tumbled into the dark, metal box, Enzo right behind her. Luca threw Lily in and turned back to lay down covering fire. A bullet grazed his shoulder, but he didn't feel it. He slammed the grated door shut and hit the massive red button.
The ancient elevator groaned to life, shuddering violently as it began a rapid ascent up into the abandoned building above.
Bullets pinged against the metal floor beneath them as they rose out of range.
Mia collapsed against the wall, gasping for air in the pitch-black elevator car. Lily was crying softly into Mia’s shoulder.
Luca leaned against the opposite wall, holding his bleeding shoulder, his breathing heavy.
“He killed him,” Mia sobbed, the reality of Marco’s words finally hitting her. “My dad is dead.”
Enzo clicked his flashlight back on, casting a dim glow over the small space.
He looked at Mia, then at Lily. He knelt down beside the little girl.
“Lily, honey,” Enzo said softly. “When Marco’s men took your daddy... did you see it happen?”
Lily sniffled, wiping her eyes. “Yes.”
“Did they shoot him?”
Lily shook her head vehemently. “No. The man with the scar told them not to hurt him. He said Daddy had to open the box first.”
Luca’s head snapped up. “What box?”
Lily reached into her other pocket. She pulled out a heavy, tarnished gold object.
It was a vintage pocket watch.
“Daddy slipped this into my pocket before they took him,” Lily whispered. “He told me the box won’t open until the watch stops ticking.”
Luca took the heavy gold watch from her small hands.
He looked at the face.
May you like
The second hand was completely frozen.
The time was stopped at exactly 11:15.
