Chapter 7 - A CHANGE OF SCENERY
The Moretti compound was a fortress nestled in the rugged hills west of Austin. Accessible by a single, winding private road, it was surrounded by reinforced steel gates, motion sensors, and fifty of my most loyal, heavily armed guards.
We arrived at dawn. I had a private doctor waiting to treat my shoulder and re-examine Leo’s leg.
Once the kids were settled in a massive, sunlit bedroom overlooking the valley, I finally allowed the doctor to stitch my wound. I sat bare-chested on a leather sofa in my study, drinking scotch straight from the bottle while the doctor worked in silence.
“He’s going to be okay, Mr. Moretti,” the doctor said softly as he tied off the final stitch. “The boy’s leg will heal. The trauma... that will take time.”
“Thank you, Doc. Dante will show you out.”
I put on a fresh shirt and walked down the hall to the children's room.
Maya was sitting on a massive plush rug, playing with a set of wooden blocks my men had hastily acquired from a high-end toy store. Leo was lying in the vast bed, staring out the window at the rolling hills.
I sat at the edge of the bed. “How’s the leg?”
“It doesn't hurt as much,” Leo said quietly. He didn't look at me. “You killed those men.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Yes. I did.”
“Because they wanted to hurt us?”
“Because they wanted to hurt you,” I confirmed. “Leo, I am not a good man. Your father... Ethan was the good man. He hated what I do. But what I do is the only thing that can keep you safe right now. I’m sorry you had to see it.”
Leo finally turned to look at me. His small face was resolute, completely devoid of the fear that had haunted him for months. “I’m not sorry. They were bad. Rebecca is bad.”
He reached out his small hand, and I took it.
“She killed him, didn't she?” Leo whispered, tears welling in his eyes. “She killed my dad.”
My heart broke for him. I squeezed his hand. “I’m going to make sure she never hurts anyone ever again, Leo. I promise you.”
Over the next few days, the compound transformed. My hardened soldiers, men who collected debts and broke bones, found themselves playing hide-and-seek with a three-year-old girl. Maya started speaking again, her laughter echoing through the stone halls, a sound that brought life back into a house built on death.
Leo slowly began to heal. He still had nightmares, waking up screaming about the basement, but I was there every time. I would sit by his bed, holding him until the shaking stopped, proving to him that the monsters couldn't reach him anymore.
But outside the compound, the city was burning.
May you like
Reyes was losing territory by the hour. My capos were systematically dismantling his operations, burning his safe houses, and seizing his assets. The cartel was bleeding.
It was time to cut off the head of the snake.
