THE MAFIA BOSS’S SECRET LUNCH TOKEN AND THE FIANCÉE’S UNFORGIVABLE LIES

Total darkness consumed the warehouse, followed instantly by the deafening roar of chaos.

“Don’t shoot! You’ll hit the boss!” one of Silvio’s men screamed, their discipline shattering in the pitch black.

I dropped to the concrete, scrambling backward on my hands and knees, desperate to get out of the line of fire. Above the shouting, I heard the heavy, metallic thud of Marco dropping from the catwalk, followed by the sickening crunch of bone as he landed squarely on two of Silvio’s guards.

“Grab the boy!” Silvio bellowed in the darkness, his composed facade breaking into panic.

A sharp, terrified cry echoed near the center of the room. “Dad!”

It was Leo. He hadn’t called for Thomas, or a guard. In his absolute terror, instinct took over, and he called for the father he had only known for a few minutes.

“Leo, stay down!” Luca’s voice roared, powerful and feral.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed wildly. Luca was moving blindly, fighting like a man possessed. I could hear men grunting and falling. But the darkness wouldn’t protect us forever. Silvio’s men had flashlights on their rifles; it was only a matter of seconds before they flicked them on and turned the warehouse into a slaughterhouse.

I crawled frantically along the wall until my fingers brushed against a heavy fire extinguisher. I unhooked it from its bracket, pulled the metal pin with my teeth, and waited.

Click. Click. Click.

Three harsh beams of tactical light sliced through the darkness, illuminating the center of the room. Luca was wrestling an assault rifle away from a massive guard, his face bruised and bleeding. Marco was engaging three men at once near the exit.

And Silvio was dragging Leo by the collar of his shirt toward a side door.

“Let him go!” I screamed.

I stood up, aimed the nozzle at the group of guards nearest to Luca, and squeezed the handle. A massive, thick cloud of white chemical foam blasted across the room. The guards choked and stumbled, blinded by the sudden fog.

Luca used the distraction perfectly. He ripped the rifle from the blinded guard’s hands, swung it like a club to drop him, and sprinted through the dissipating white smoke directly toward Silvio.

Silvio saw him coming. The old man shoved Leo roughly to the ground, pulled a silver revolver from his coat, and aimed it right at Luca’s chest.

“Die like your mother!” Silvio snarled.

A shot rang out, deafening in the enclosed space.

But Luca didn’t fall.

Someone else had tackled Silvio from the side just as the gun went off. The bullet shattered a wooden crate high above them.

I gasped in shock as the figure scrambled to their feet.

It was Vanessa.

She was covered in dirt, her expensive red dress torn to shreds, her hair a wild mess. She had followed us. She had sneaked into the warehouse behind Marco.

“You ruined my life!” Vanessa screamed at Silvio, launching herself at the old man and clawing at his face. “You made me a monster! You made me betray the only person who ever loved me!”

Silvio roared in pain, striking Vanessa across the face with the heavy handle of his cane. She crumpled to the floor, bleeding from her temple, but she had bought Luca the time he needed.

Luca hit Silvio like a freight train. The old man crashed into the tin wall, his revolver flying out of his hand and skittering across the concrete floor. Luca pinned his uncle by the throat, hoisting him off the ground with pure, terrifying strength.

“It’s over, Silvio,” Luca hissed, his eyes burning with years of repressed rage.

The remaining guards, seeing their boss pinned and bleeding, dropped their weapons as Marco and his men leveled their own guns at them. The fight was over.

I rushed forward and scooped Leo into my arms. The boy clung to me, sobbing uncontrollably, his small hands gripping my apron like a lifeline. “Emma! Emma, I’m scared!”

“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” I whispered, rocking him back and forth. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

Sirens began to wail in the distance, growing louder by the second. Red and blue lights flashed through the high windows of the warehouse. Mrs. Carter had kept her word—she had called the authorities the moment we left the estate.

Luca dropped Silvio to the ground in disgust. The old man gasped for air, clutching his bruised throat.

Luca walked slowly toward me. He looked at Leo, his chest heaving, his face softened by an overwhelming, agonizing love. He dropped to his knees in front of us.

Leo looked at him, his tear-streaked face trembling.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to find you,” Luca whispered, tears finally falling down his bruised face. He reached out a shaking hand.

Leo let go of my apron and threw his arms around Luca’s neck. Luca buried his face in his son’s shoulder, holding him so tightly it looked like he was trying to merge their souls together.

I stepped back, wiping my own tears, feeling a profound sense of relief wash over me.

But as the police burst through the doors, shouting orders and securing Silvio’s men, the old man on the floor began to laugh. It was a wet, raspy, deeply sinister sound.

Two officers hauled Silvio to his feet and slapped handcuffs on his wrists.

“You think you’ve won, boy?” Silvio spat, blood dripping from his teeth as he smiled at Luca. “You think throwing me in a cell fixes this?”

Luca stood up, holding Leo safely behind his legs. “You’re going to rot in federal prison, Silvio. You have nothing left.”

“Neither do you,” Silvio laughed hysterically as the officers dragged him toward the door. “You didn’t sign the folder, Luca! The trusts, the money, the houses—it’s all in my name! My fail-safe went into effect at midnight! Check your mother’s grave, you fool! You’re as poor as the day you begged for lunch!”

The warehouse fell silent except for the crackle of police radios.

Luca stared at the door as Silvio was shoved into a squad car. The billionaire had just saved his son, but he had lost his entire empire.