Chapter 7 - THE RECKONING
The courtyard of the shipyard was silent except for the heavy breathing of the men and the soft sobbing of the little girl in my arms.
Luca had Marco pinned to the ground. His fist came down once, twice, a brutal, calculated dismantling of the man who had betrayed him. He stopped only when Marco stopped struggling, lying limp on the concrete.
Luca’s men swarmed the area, securing Marco’s remaining crew. It was a clean sweep.
Luca stood up, wiping blood from his knuckles with a handkerchief. He didn't look at the carnage. He walked straight to us. He dropped to his knees, wrapping his massive arms around both me and Lily.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice rough with emotion.
“We’re okay,” I said. Lily buried her face in her father’s neck, her small hands gripping his shirt.
Vanessa walked out of the warehouse slowly, her gun lowered. She looked at Luca, expecting to be shot on sight.
Luca stood up, leaving Lily in my arms. He walked over to Vanessa. The tension in the air was thick enough to choke on.
“You took my daughter,” Luca said, his voice deadly quiet.
“I took her to save her, Luca,” Vanessa said, holding her head high despite the tears streaming down her face. “Marco was going to use her to bleed you dry. I know I’m going to pay for my part in this. But you have to know… I never wanted to hurt her.”
Luca looked at the bruise on Vanessa’s face. He looked at the dead man with the scar near the doorway. He knew Vanessa had shot him to save me.
“Where is your brother?” Luca asked.
“A safe house in Queens. Marco’s men are holding him.”
Luca turned to his lieutenant. “Send a team to Queens. Bring her brother back alive. Then put them both on a plane to Europe. If I ever see either of you in this city again, I won’t be so forgiving.”
Vanessa gasped, covering her mouth. “Thank you, Luca.” She turned and looked at Lily. “I’m sorry, little bird.”
She walked away, getting into one of the SUVs to be escorted out of our lives forever.
Later that evening, the Moretti house was eerily quiet. The broken glass from the dinner party had been swept away. The house had been heavily secured.
I was in the kitchen, making hot chocolate. My hands were finally starting to stop shaking.
Luca walked in. He looked exhausted, the weight of his empire pulling at his shoulders. He sat down at the kitchen island.
I slid a mug of hot chocolate toward him. Then, I reached into my pocket and placed the silver rosary on the marble counter.
“This is what Marco was after,” I said. “Elena hid a microfilm inside. It has all the proof of Marco’s embezzlement.”
Luca picked up the rosary gently, tracing the cross with his thumb. “I knew she was looking into the accounts. I told her to stop. I told her it was too dangerous. That’s why we fought the night she died.”
“She didn't listen because she wanted to protect you,” I said softly.
Luca looked up at me. His dark eyes were filled with a profound sadness, but also a deep, lingering respect.
“You didn’t have to risk your life for my daughter, Hannah. You’re just an employee.”
“She’s not just a job to me, Mr. Moretti,” I said firmly. “She’s a little girl who needs someone to stand up for her.”
Luca nodded slowly. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small, ornate wooden box. He slid it across the counter toward me.
“When Elena died, her lawyer gave me this,” Luca said. “He said she instructed him to give it to the woman who would stay to raise Lily. I thought, for a while, that meant Vanessa. I was a fool.”
My heart skipped a beat. I looked at the box.
“Open it,” he said.
May you like
I reached out and unlatched the brass hook. Inside the velvet-lined box was a single envelope, addressed in Elena’s beautiful handwriting. But it wasn't addressed to Luca.
It was addressed to Hannah.
