Chapter 8 - THE BLOOD ON THE DOCKS
Gunfire shattered the quiet night.
As Serena stumbled, Isabella dove forward, throwing her body over the two infant car seats to protect them from the crossfire.
Matteo dove behind a steel drum as Carlo’s men opened fire. The deafening roar of automatic weapons echoed across the water.
I didn't think. I scrambled out from behind the crates and sprinted toward Isabella.
"Emma!" Isabella gasped as I reached her. "Get the babies!"
I grabbed the handles of the two car seats. They were heavy, but adrenaline made me feel like I could lift a car.
"Go! To the boat!" Isabella yelled, pointing to a small speedboat tied to the far side of the pier.
I ran. Bullets splintered the wood at my feet.
Suddenly, a massive man in a dark suit stepped into my path, raising his rifle.
Before he could pull the trigger, a shotgun blast echoed from beneath the pier. The man flew backward into the water.
Elena pulled herself up onto the dock, smoking shotgun in hand. "I told you I was keeping her alive!"
"Go, Emma!" Elena screamed.
I reached the speedboat and carefully lowered the twins inside. They were crying loudly, terrified by the noise.
I turned back to help Isabella, but my heart stopped.
Serena had recovered. She grabbed Isabella by the throat from behind, pressing the barrel of a gold-plated revolver to Isabella’s temple.
"STOP SHOOTING!" Serena screamed at the top of her lungs.
The gunfire slowly ceased.
The silence was terrifying.
Matteo stepped out from behind the steel drum. His suit was riddled with holes, and his arm was bleeding heavily, but his eyes were fixed entirely on his wife.
"Let her go, Serena," Matteo said, his voice trembling for the first time. "You've lost."
"I haven't lost anything!" Serena shrieked. "My father controls the Syndicate. We control the police. You are nothing, Matteo!"
Carlo stepped forward, looking furious. "Put the gun down, Serena. We need the ledger."
"Shut up, old man!" Serena snapped, turning the gun toward her own father for a split second. "This isn't about business anymore! She stole my life!"
Serena looked at Isabella with pure, unadulterated hatred.
"I loved him first," Serena whispered to Isabella. "I was supposed to be the Queen of this family. And you... a nobody. A civilian. You ruined everything."
"You ruined yourself," Isabella choked out. "You poisoned my son."
Serena laughed. "And tonight, I'm going to finish the job. Say goodbye, Isabella."
Serena cocked the hammer of the gun.
BANG.
Serena froze.
A red stain began to bloom across the front of her white silk blouse.
She looked down in shock. Then, she looked up.
I was standing twenty feet away, my arms fully extended, both hands gripping the silver pistol Matteo had given me.
Smoke curled from the barrel.
I had never fired a gun in my life. But I hadn't hesitated.
Serena’s knees buckled, and she collapsed backward into the dark, freezing water of the lake.
She didn't resurface.
Carlo stared at the water, then looked at me. His face contorted with rage.
"Kill that bitch!" Carlo screamed to his remaining men.
But before they could raise their weapons, a fleet of police sirens wailed in the distance, followed instantly by the roar of helicopters overhead.
Spotlights hit the docks.
"FBI! DROP YOUR WEAPONS!" a voice boomed over a loudspeaker.
Protocol Omega. Matteo hadn't bluffed. He had actually called the Feds.
Carlo’s men dropped their guns, raising their hands in surrender. Carlo tried to run, but FBI tactical teams swarmed the docks, throwing him to the ground and cuffing him.
Matteo didn't look at the FBI. He didn't look at Carlo.
He ran straight to Isabella.
He fell to his knees, pulling her into his arms.
"You're alive," Matteo sobbed, burying his face in her hair. "You're actually alive."
Isabella held him, tears streaming down her bruised face. "I'm sorry I ran. I'm so sorry, Matteo. I thought I was protecting you."
"You did," Matteo whispered. "You saved us."
I stood frozen, the gun still in my shaking hands.
Suddenly, small arms wrapped around my legs.
Oliver.
He had climbed up onto the dock with Elena.
"Mommy!" Oliver screamed.
Isabella looked up. When she saw Oliver, a sound escaped her throat—a primal, beautiful sound of pure joy.
She scrambled to her feet and caught Oliver as he ran to her. She squeezed him so tightly, burying her face in his neck, kissing every inch of his face.
"My brave boy," Isabella cried. "My beautiful, brave boy."
Matteo walked over to the speedboat. He looked down at the two infant girls crying in their car seats.
He reached down and gently picked them up, holding one in each arm. He looked at them with a love so profound it made my heart ache.
The family was together. They were safe.
I slowly lowered the gun.
It was over.
But as the FBI agents began to clear the dock, the lead detective walked up to Matteo.
He didn't look happy.
May you like
He handed Matteo a sleek, black envelope.
"The Syndicate sends their regards, Ricci," the detective whispered. "They said you can keep your family. But the maid comes with us."
