Chapter 7 - FLAMES OVER CHICAGO
~1,100 words
The helicopter touched down on the private helipad of the Moretti estate just forty-five minutes later.
The scene that greeted us was utter devastation.
The eastern wing of the grand Chicago mansion was engulfed in thick, black billows of smoke. Sirens wailed in the distance as local fire trucks raced up the long oak-lined driveway, their red lights flashing against the stone facade. Firefighters were already spraying high-pressure hoses against the raging flames licking at the second-floor windows.
Luca leaped out of the chopper before the landing skids had even stopped vibrating. He broke into a dead sprint toward the front entrance, ignoring the shouting firefighters who tried to block his path.
""""Get out of my way!""" he roared, shoving a firefighter aside and bursting through the shattered front doors of the mansion.
I followed right behind him, coughing as thick, acrid smoke filled the grand foyer. The crystal chandelier overhead was swaying violently from the heat, and broken glass crunched beneath our feet.
""""Vanessa!""" Luca shouted, his voice echoing through the smoke-filled corridors.
There was no answer, only the roaring crackle of fire coming from the direction of the private study.
We raced down the hallway. The heavy mahogany door of the study was blasted off its hinges, charred black around the edges.
Inside, the room was a war zone. Bookshelves had been knocked over, papers were scattered everywhere, and in the center of the room, tied tightly to a heavy wooden chair with thick nylon rope, sat Vanessa Bellini.
Her red silk gown was torn and stained with soot. Her head hung limply toward her chest, her dark hair covering her face.
""""Vanessa!""" Luca yelled, rushing across the burning room through the falling ash.
He pulled a heavy hunting knife from his boot and sliced through the nylon ropes binding her wrists and ankles in a matter of seconds. Vanessa slumped forward, gasping for air, coughing violently as fresh oxygen hit her lungs.
""""They... they came back,"""" she wheezed, her voice barely a whisper. """"Reynolds... he said I ruined everything.""""
Luca hoisted her up effortlessly into his arms, carrying her away from the spreading flames toward the safety of the foyer. I ran ahead, kicking open the front door so we could escape into the crisp morning air.
As we collapsed onto the manicured lawn away from the smoke, paramedics rushed over with oxygen masks and thermal blankets.
Vanessa clutched desperately at the lapels of Luca's suit jacket, her eyes wide with genuine terror. """"Luca... they took something from the safe. They took the ledger.""""
Luca froze, his eyes narrowing. """"What ledger?""""
""""The one containing the names of everyone who helped fund the syndicate twenty years ago,"""" she cried, tears carving clean paths through the soot on her cheeks. """"Reynolds said if you didn't hand over your entire estate to him by midnight, he'd release it to the federal authorities and destroy everything your father built.""""
For a long moment, Luca said nothing. He looked down at the woman who had lied to him, betrayed him, hidden his son for nine years, and yet had just been targeted and tortured by the very man she had conspired with.
The betrayal was complete, but the trap was closing.
Luca handed Vanessa over to the paramedics, stood up slowly, and pulled his phone from his pocket.
""""Natalie,"""" he said, turning to look at me with eyes as cold as winter ice.
""""Yes, Luca?""""
""""Call the guards in Milwaukee. Tell them to put Leo and Margaret into the armored transport immediately and bring them here.""""
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My breath hitched. """"Bring them here? To Chicago? While the house is burning?""""
""""No,"""" Luca said, a grim, terrifying smile touching his lips as he looked toward the blazing ruins of his estate. """"We're not going back to the mansion. We're going to Reynolds's stronghold downtown. It's time to end this war once and for all.""""
