Chapter 8 - THE SILVER WATCH
The blood-stained coat lay on the dusty floor like a ghost.
Roman stared at it, his entire body going terrifyingly still. The shotgun in his hands slowly lowered.
"You killed him," Roman whispered, his voice completely hollowed out by the betrayal.
"It was business, nephew," Salvatore said dismissively, adjusting his expensive camel-hair coat. "Your father wanted peace. The Morettis wanted war. There is no money in peace."
Salvatore looked at Sadi, his eyes crawling over her oversized Kevlar jacket.
"And you must be the accountant's chubby little daughter," Salvatore sneered. "I assumed you'd be hiding under a bed somewhere. Hand over the bracelet, sweetheart. And I might let the blonde girl live."
Chloe sobbed hysterically on the floor.
Sadi gripped the tarnished bracelet in her pocket. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like a trapped bird battering against her ribs.
Answer One: Salvatore orchestrated the entire war between the Rossis and the Morettis to seize power and wipe out Roman's legitimate claim.
But Roman wasn't looking at his uncle anymore. He was looking at Sadi.
His dark eyes communicated a silent, desperate message.
The watch.
"Give him the bracelet, Sadi," Roman said, his voice loud, masking the subtle nod of his head.
"Roman, no," Sadi played along, her voice trembling perfectly.
"Do it!" Roman barked.
Sadi slowly reached into her pocket. She didn't pull out the bracelet.
She reached for the heavy silver watch Roman had given her.
Under the cover of the oversized Kevlar coat, her thumb found the dial.
Turn it past the twelve.
She twisted the dial. A tiny, almost imperceptible red light blinked on the face of the watch.
"I said bring it here!" Salvatore demanded, gesturing to one of the Moretti enforcers.
The enforcer stepped forward, grabbing Sadi roughly by the arm.
Sadi didn't fight him. She let him pull her forward.
As she stumbled, she intentionally tripped, falling to her knees right beside where Chloe was crying.
"Oops," Sadi whispered.
She slipped the ticking silver watch straight into the deep pocket of the enforcer's tactical vest.
The enforcer yanked her back to her feet, oblivious.
"Here," Sadi said, finally pulling the tarnished bracelet from her pocket and tossing it at Salvatore's feet.
Salvatore smiled, picking it up. He turned to the wall of brass deposit boxes, hunting for the keyhole that matched the strange floral clasp.
"Box 404," Salvatore murmured, finding it. He slid the bracelet in.
It turned with a heavy, satisfying clack.
Salvatore pulled the metal drawer out.
Reversal: The box was not filled with stacks of hundred-dollar bills.
Salvatore stared into the metal drawer, his face contorting in pure, unadulterated rage.
"Where is it?!" Salvatore screamed, flipping the box upside down.
A single, folded piece of paper fluttered to the floor.
It wasn't money. It was a signed confession from Sadi's father, detailing exactly how Salvatore had embezzled the Rossi funds and ordered hits on his own family. It was the only proof needed to put Salvatore away for life, or get him killed by the mob commission.
"Kill them!" Salvatore roared, pointing at Roman and Sadi.
"Get down!" Roman yelled, tackling Sadi and Chloe to the floor behind a heavy concrete pillar.
BOOM.
The silver watch inside the enforcer's vest detonated.
The explosion tore through the sub-basement, blowing the enforcer backward and sending the other three hitmen crashing into the brick walls.
Dust, smoke, and debris filled the air.
Roman didn't hesitate. He popped up from behind the pillar, his shotgun roaring to life.
He pumped three rounds into the surviving hitmen, dropping them instantly.
But Salvatore had survived the blast.
Bleeding from his forehead, Salvatore raised his pistol, aiming directly at Sadi's back as she shielded Chloe.
Roman saw it.
He didn't have time to pump another round into the shotgun.
Roman threw himself in front of Sadi just as Salvatore fired.
Two gunshots echoed simultaneously.
Roman jerked violently, a fresh bloom of blood appearing on his chest.
But Roman's pistol, drawn from his holster in a blindingly fast motion, fired straight into Salvatore's heart.
The older man collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.
Silence fell over the destroyed sub-basement.
Sadi scrambled out from under the Kevlar coat.
"Roman!" she screamed.
Roman fell backward, slumping against the cold concrete wall. He was bleeding profusely from his chest, his breathing ragged and shallow.
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Cliffhanger: Sadi pressed her hands over his chest wound, crying hysterically. Roman reached up with a trembling, blood-stained hand and pressed a heavy gold family ring into her palm.
"Take it," Roman whispered, his eyes rolling back. "You're the head of the family now, Sadi."
