Chapter 6 - THE BROTHER’S THREAT
Skylar scrambled backward, her hands slipping on the damp soil and shattered clay. Her cheek throbbed where the stitches had been pulled taut by her fall.
Vincenzo Moretti was a terrifying man. Broad-shouldered, wearing a tailored suit that couldn’t hide his brawler’s physique, he looked down at her with pure disdain.
“You’ve caused my family a lot of trouble tonight, sweetheart,” Vincenzo said, tapping the crowbar against his palm. “Bianca is crying in my car. My sister doesn’t cry.”
“She’s a liar,” Skylar choked out, clutching the gold rosary in her fist.
Vincenzo laughed. “Maybe. But she’s my blood. And you? You’re just the help.”
He raised the crowbar.
“Wait!” Skylar screamed. “I have Dominic’s ledger!”
Vincenzo froze, the crowbar inches from her skull. His eyes narrowed. “What ledger?”
“The one that proves your father poisoned his,” Skylar lied quickly, her heart hammering against her ribs. “I know where it is. Dominic hid it tonight. If you kill me, he’ll use it to destroy your family.”
Vincenzo stared at her, calculating. He grabbed her by the arm, hauling her roughly to her feet. Skylar cried out in pain, but he twisted her arm behind her back.
“Show me,” he hissed.
He marched her back across the lawn, through the kitchen doors, and into the grand foyer.
The mansion had been transformed into a war zone. Dominic’s men were lined up on one side of the massive marble staircase, weapons drawn. On the other side, Vincenzo’s soldiers stood with equal firepower.
In the center of the standoff stood Dominic. He looked calm, but a muscle feathered in his jaw.
When Vincenzo pushed Skylar into the light, Dominic’s composure shattered. He took a step forward, his hand dropping toward his weapon.
“Ah, ah,” Vincenzo warned, pressing the tip of the crowbar against Skylar’s ribs. “Look what I found digging in the dirt, Dominic.”
“Let her go, Vincenzo,” Dominic said, his voice lethal. “She has nothing to do with this.”
“She says she knows where your father’s ledger is,” Vincenzo smirked.
Dominic’s eyes flicked to Skylar. He saw the desperation in her eyes, the way she clutched her fist to her chest. He realized instantly she was bluffing to save her own life.
“There is no ledger,” Dominic lied smoothly. “The girl is terrified and making things up.”
From the back of the Moretti group, Bianca stepped forward. She had changed out of her ruined gown into a sleek trench coat, looking every bit the mob princess.
“She’s lying, Vince,” Bianca said coldly. “Kill her. Then we’ll deal with Dominic.”
Vincenzo raised his weapon again.
Skylar knew she couldn’t fight him. She was too slow, too heavy. But she remembered what they called her in the kitchen.
Penny. The clumsy maid.
Next to Vincenzo was a towering, antique grandfather clock. Sitting on the table beside it was a massive, tiered crystal vase filled with water and heavy stones.
Skylar didn’t try to run. Instead, she threw her entire 240-pound weight backward, directly into Vincenzo’s chest, while simultaneously kicking the table as hard as she could.
Vincenzo stumbled back with a grunt of surprise. The table tipped. The massive crystal vase crashed to the marble floor with the sound of a bomb going off, sending water, stones, and glass exploding in every direction.
The sudden chaos distracted the Moretti men for exactly one second.
It was all Dominic needed.
He drew his weapon and fired twice into the ceiling. The deafening cracks echoed through the foyer.
“Drop them!” Dominic roared.
Before anyone could react to the gunfire, a sharp, commanding voice echoed from the top of the grand staircase.
“Vincenzo Moretti. You are standing on my floor.”
Everyone froze.
At the top of the stairs stood Carmela Rossi.
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She was not hunched. She was not confused. She stood perfectly straight, wearing a black silk robe, holding a small silver key in one hand and a thick stack of documents in the other.
“And I am not senile,” Carmela said, her voice dripping with venom. “I remember everything.”
