Chapter 8 - THE CONFRONTATION
The heavy, measured footsteps of Roberto Bellini echoed down the concrete subway stairs.
“There’s nowhere left to run, Luca,” Roberto’s voice boomed, deep and raspy. “Send the women up. You and I can settle this like men.”
Luca stepped in front of us, raising his gun, aiming it at the top of the stairs.
“Stay behind me,” he whispered.
I looked down at the gold bracelet in my hand. The tiny red light on the microchip blinked steadily.
They can hear us.
I pulled Luca’s collar down and whispered directly into his ear.
“Play along. Make him think we have the original documents.”
Luca’s eyes flashed with understanding.
He raised his voice, shouting up the stairwell.
“You think you’ve won, Roberto? You think burning a few fake files at the clinic saves you?”
The footsteps stopped.
“Fake?” Roberto asked, his voice losing an edge of confidence.
“My father wasn’t stupid,” Luca yelled, gripping his gun tighter. “He knew Vance was untrustworthy. The real evidence—the ledgers, the poison vials, the full confession—they’ve been in a safe deposit box for twenty years.”
Silence hung heavy over the rain-soaked stairs.
“You’re bluffing,” Marco’s voice called out from above. “He’s bluffing, Father. Let’s just go down and finish them.”
“Am I?” Luca shouted back. “Why do you think we came to the subway? The old bank vaults are accessible through the maintenance tunnels down here. If you kill me now, the dead-man’s switch on my lawyer’s account releases everything to the Commission by sunrise. You’ll be hunted down like a dog by every family in the country.”
I watched the red light on the bracelet blink.
I leaned close to it and whispered, feigning panic, “Luca, no, don’t tell him about the vault under City Hall!”
Luca looked at me, impressed by the improvisation.
Upstairs, we heard the distinct sound of a gun being cocked.
“City Hall,” Roberto muttered.
“Get the cars ready,” Roberto ordered his men. “We need to get to the City Hall tunnels before he triggers the release.”
We heard the sound of heavy boots retreating. Car doors slammed, and tires squealed as the Bellini convoy sped away.
Luca let out a massive breath, lowering his gun.
“It worked,” he whispered. “They took the bait.”
“They won’t be gone long,” I said, dropping the bracelet onto the concrete and crushing it under my shoe. “When they realize the vault is empty, they’ll come back.”
“Then we use this head start to end this,” Luca said, his eyes burning with renewed purpose. “Roberto just took his entire crew to City Hall. That means his main compound is practically empty.”
My mother looked terrified. “You want to break into the Bellini estate? That’s suicide!”
“It’s justice,” Luca said. “Vanessa is there. And she’s the only one left who can testify that Roberto gave the order to forge those asylum papers. If I get her to flip on her father, the Commission will handle Roberto for me.”
Ten minutes later, we stole a beat-up sedan from a nearby alley and drove toward the wealthy suburbs.
The Bellini compound sat on a hill, surrounded by high iron gates. Just as Luca predicted, the guard posts were largely abandoned.
Luca shot the lock off the back service entrance.
We slipped into the massive, opulent kitchen. The house was dead quiet.
“Vanessa’s suite is on the second floor,” Luca whispered, leading the way with his weapon drawn.
We crept up the grand staircase.
As we reached the landing, a door at the end of the hall opened.
Vanessa stepped out, wearing a silk robe, holding a glass of wine.
She froze when she saw us.
She dropped the glass. It shattered against the hardwood floor.
“You—” she gasped.
Luca closed the distance in three massive strides, grabbing her by the arm and shoving her back into the bedroom, closing the door behind us.
“Scream, and I’ll let Sarah’s mother deal with you,” Luca snarled.
Vanessa backed up against her vanity, her eyes wide with terror.
“Luca, please! My father made me do it! He told me to get rid of the maid!”
“I know,” Luca said coldly. “And you’re going to tell that to the Commission.”
Vanessa shook her head frantically. “He’ll kill me! If I betray him, he’ll kill me just like he killed your father!”
“He’s going to kill you anyway,” I stepped forward, my anger boiling over. “He left you here with no guards. He used you as bait.”
Vanessa looked out the window, realizing the driveway was empty.
Tears of genuine fear finally spilled down her cheeks.
“Fine,” she sobbed. “I have proof. Audio recordings of him ordering the hit on Dr. Vance. They’re in my safe.”
She walked over to a painting on the wall and swung it open, revealing a wall safe. She quickly punched in the code and reached inside.
But when she turned around, she wasn’t holding a flash drive.
She was holding a silver, pearl-handled revolver.
And she pointed it directly at my mother’s chest.
“I’m not going down for any of you,” Vanessa sneered, her finger tightening on the trigger.
BANG.
The gunshot was deafening in the small bedroom.
I screamed.
But my mother didn’t fall.
Vanessa stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock. A dark red stain began to blossom across the chest of her white silk robe.
She dropped the revolver and collapsed to the floor.
I whipped around, expecting to see Luca holding a smoking gun.
May you like
But Luca hadn’t fired.
Standing in the doorway, holding a smoking pistol, was Roberto Bellini.
