Chapter 9 - THE HEIR, THE ORPHAN, AND THE MAFIA KING
The docks were bathed in freezing fog.
Pier 4 stretched out into the black water, lined with rusted shipping containers.
Lorenzo Romano stood at the end of the pier.
He was surrounded by a dozen armed men.
And right beside him, crying silently, was Leo.
“Mommy!” Leo shrieked when he saw me step out of the SUV.
“Let him go!” I screamed, running forward.
Two men raised rifles at my chest.
I stopped.
Luca walked up beside me. He held the forged property deeds in his left hand. His right hand rested casually near his coat pocket.
“The paperwork,” Lorenzo demanded, holding out a scarred hand.
“The boy first,” Luca countered.
Lorenzo sneered. “He is a Romano. My blood.”
“He is a child who is terrified,” Luca said coldly. “Send him to his mother.”
Lorenzo studied Luca for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
One of the guards released Leo.
My son ran across the wet concrete. I fell to my knees and caught him, burying my face in his neck, sobbing with relief.
“I got you, baby. You’re safe. You’re safe.”
Luca handed the deeds to Lorenzo’s man.
Lorenzo inspected the wax seal. He smiled.
“Beautiful,” Lorenzo whispered. “With this, the Moretti family is nothing but a memory.”
“There’s one problem, Lorenzo,” Luca said softly.
Lorenzo looked up.
“That seal?” Luca pointed at the wax. “It’s not my family crest.”
Lorenzo squinted in the dark.
He rubbed his thumb over the wax.
It wasn’t an ‘M’.
It was a federal seal.
Suddenly, the shipping containers around us burst open.
Blinding floodlights snapped on, washing the pier in daylight.
“FBI! DROP YOUR WEAPONS!”
Dozens of tactical agents poured out of the containers, laser sights painting Lorenzo and his men.
Lorenzo froze, his eyes wide with shock.
“You set me up!” Lorenzo roared, reaching for his gun.
Luca didn’t flinch.
He drew his weapon in a blur and fired a single shot.
The bullet struck the concrete right between Lorenzo’s feet.
“The deeds are fake,” Luca said over the sirens. “The witness signature is fake. But the kidnapping charge you’re about to take is very real.”
Lorenzo dropped his gun.
The FBI swarmed him.
Luca turned around and walked toward me.
He holstered his gun and knelt down beside me and Leo.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly.
Leo reached out and grabbed Luca’s suit jacket with his tiny fists.
“You saved us,” Leo sniffled.
Luca smiled, a real, genuine smile, and brushed the tears from Leo’s cheeks.
“Nobody will ever hurt you again. I promise.”
Two weeks later, the estate was entirely different.
The heavy, dark curtains were open. Sunlight flooded the hallways.
Teresa was back, laughing with Mrs. Carter in the kitchen.
Vanessa was in federal prison, denied bail. Lorenzo Romano was sitting in a cell right next to her.
I wasn’t wearing a housekeeper uniform anymore.
I was sitting in the library, wearing a soft cream sweater, drinking tea.
Leo was sitting on the carpet, coloring a new picture.
Luca walked in.
He sat in the leather chair across from me and handed me a small velvet box.
“I got it back,” he said.
I opened it.
It was his mother’s silver rosary, fully repaired.
“Thank you,” I whispered, touching the cool metal.
Luca leaned forward.
“You don’t have to work here anymore, Rebecca. I’ve set up a trust for Leo. You’re financially secure for the rest of your life.”
My heart fluttered.
“Are you firing me, Mr. Moretti?”
“No.” He smiled. “I’m asking you to stay. Not as an employee. As my partner.”
I looked at him.
Then I looked at Leo, who had just finished his drawing.
He held it up.
It was me, Leo, and Luca. Holding hands.
“We’d like that,” I said softly.
Luca reached across the desk and took my hand.
It was a perfect, happy ending.
May you like
Until the doorbell rang.
TITLE: THE PAST NEVER KNOCKS POLITELY
