Chapter 7 - THE SHATTERED GLASS
Vanessa drove the jagged shard of glass into the back of Julian’s shoulder.
Julian roared in agony, spinning around and throwing her violently to the floor. The distraction lasted only a second, but for a man like Luca Moretti, a second was a lifetime.
Luca pivoted, firing twice. The man sneaking up behind him fell to the floor before he could pull the trigger.
Julian, clutching his profusely bleeding shoulder, panicked. The element of control was entirely gone. He looked frantically at his remaining three men, realizing the tide had turned. “Fall back! Fall back to the elevator!”
They scrambled toward the doors, dragging a cursing, bleeding Julian with them. The heavy metal doors slid shut, cutting off his string of threats as the elevator plummeted down to the garage.
The penthouse fell into a sudden, deafening silence, broken only by the wind howling through the shattered windows and the steady drip of rain.
I kept my arms wrapped tightly around Leo, my whole body shaking uncontrollably.
On the monitor, Luca slowly stood up from behind the marble island. He kept his weapon raised, sweeping the ruined room to ensure it was clear.
He walked over to Vanessa. She was lying amidst the broken glass, clutching her ribs, sobbing uncontrollably into the ruined fabric of her eighty-thousand-dollar wedding dress.
Luca didn't shoot her. He simply kicked the remaining weapons away from her reach.
Then, he walked directly toward the bookshelf.
“Sophie,” Luca’s voice came through the thick steel door, heavy with exhaustion but incredibly soft. “It’s over. Open the door.”
I fumbled with the deadbolt, my fingers numb and clumsy. The heavy door swung open.
Luca stood there. His immaculate white shirt was torn and smeared with soot, his face bruised, but his dark eyes immediately sought mine. He let out a long, ragged breath when he saw we were unhurt.
Leo peeked out from behind my legs.
He looked at the wreckage of the beautiful penthouse. He looked at Vanessa, crying on the floor. And then he looked at Luca, standing tall amidst the chaos.
Slowly, the little boy walked out of the panic room. He didn’t run to the corner. He didn’t cower.
He walked straight up to Luca and wrapped his small arms around Luca’s leg.
“You protected us,” Leo mumbled into the fabric of Luca’s trousers. “You’re not the bad man.”
Luca dropped his gun. It clattered against the hardwood floor. He fell to his knees, wrapping his strong arms around his nephew, burying his face in Leo’s dark curls. I saw the dangerous, powerful mafia boss completely break down, his broad shoulders shaking with years of repressed grief and the overwhelming relief of a promise finally kept.
I leaned against the doorframe, wiping hot tears from my own face.
After a long moment, Luca stood up, picking Leo up and holding him securely against his chest. He looked down at Vanessa.
“I should kill you,” Luca said softly, stating a fact rather than a threat.
Vanessa looked up, her face pale, terrified. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was going to kill anyone. I just wanted the money. I was drowning in debt.”
“You are going to walk out of this building,” Luca told her, his voice devoid of any warmth or mercy. “You are going to go to the airport. You will leave the country, and you will never, ever return to Chicago. If I see your face again, I won’t hesitate.”
Vanessa scrambled to her feet, clutching her bruised ribs, and limped out toward the emergency stairwell without looking back, leaving a trail of blood and tulle behind her.
Luca turned to me.
“Julian got away,” I said, my voice trembling. “He’ll come back for the codes. He knows where we are.”
Luca reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black remote detonator. “No, he won’t.”
He pressed a button.
A massive, muffled explosion echoed from deep beneath the building, shaking the floor beneath our feet.
“That was his getaway car in the parking garage,” Luca said calmly, his eyes dark and resolute.
I stared at him. He had known exactly what he was doing. He had planned for every contingency.
He walked toward me, his free hand reaching out to gently take the cardstock with the codes from my trembling fingers.
“He’s gone, Sophie. The threat to my family is permanently gone.”
“What happens now?” I whispered, looking around the ruined penthouse, realizing my old life was gone too.
May you like
Luca looked at the codes in his hand, then at the little boy resting his head sleepily on his shoulder. Finally, he looked at me, his gaze so intense it made my heart flutter in my chest.
“Now,” Luca said, “I rebuild.”
