Chapter 7 - THE SECOND KEY
Luca stared at me, his brow furrowed. “Vanessa? Why would Carmela give the key to a vault to my fiancée?”
“Because Vanessa was the courier,” I explained quickly, pacing the floor. “Carmela didn't trust the Romanos. She wanted to keep the vault key safe until she was absolutely sure she was getting paid. And who is the last person you would ever suspect of holding a mafia vault key?”
“The woman I was sleeping next to every night,” Luca realized, the betrayal hardening his features into stone.
“Exactly,” I nodded. “Vanessa told me on the phone that they made her order the dress as a distraction. The diamonds and the ledger were for the Romanos. But she must have kept the key.”
“She’s missing, Rachel,” Matteo pointed out. “We haven't found her since she left the restaurant.”
“She isn't missing,” I said, the puzzle pieces finally snapping together. “She ran.”
I looked at Luca.
“Think about it. You humiliated her. You kicked her out in front of the city's elite. She knew the wedding was off. She knew she was losing her access to your money. But she has the key to a vault with millions of dollars in untraceable bonds.”
Luca’s eyes widened slightly as my words sank in.
“She’s going to rob my family,” Luca whispered, a dark, dangerous smirk slowly spreading across his face. “The arrogant little fool thinks she can walk into my restaurant and steal from me.”
“She doesn't know you know about the vault,” I said. “She thinks you’re dealing with Carmela and the ledger. She’s using the chaos as a smokescreen.”
Luca turned to Matteo.
“Call the men off,” Luca ordered. “I don't want an army showing up at the restaurant. It will spook her. I want this handled quietly.”
“Boss, it’s dangerous to go in without backup,” Matteo warned.
“I’ll have backup,” Luca said. “You.”
He turned to me.
“Rachel, stay here. Lock the doors.”
“No,” I said firmly, crossing my arms.
Luca stopped, looking at me in surprise. “Excuse me?”
“I’m coming with you,” I insisted.
“Absolutely not,” Luca said, his voice dropping into his authoritative boss tone. “It’s too dangerous.”
“Vanessa knows me,” I argued, stepping closer to him, completely unfazed by his intimidation tactic. “She looks down on me. If she sees me, she won't view me as a threat. I can get close to her. You can't.”
Luca stared down at me. I could see the conflict in his eyes. The protective instinct warring with the cold logic of my plan.
“You are the most stubborn woman I have ever met,” Luca muttered.
“I learned from my mother,” I smiled faintly.
Luca sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Fine. But you stay behind Matteo. If things go south, you run. Understood?”
“Understood.”
We left the penthouse immediately.
The streets of Chicago were slick with rain as we sped back toward the restaurant. It was past 3 AM, and the city was deathly quiet.
When we arrived, the restaurant was dark. The Closed sign hung heavily in the front window.
Luca didn't park in the front. We pulled into the dark alleyway behind the building.
Sure enough, parked discreetly near the delivery entrance, was a sleek black town car.
“That’s her car,” Matteo whispered, drawing his weapon with a quiet metallic click.
Luca didn't pull his gun. He simply walked up to the heavy steel door of the delivery entrance and unlocked it with a master key.
The kitchen was pitch black, smelling faintly of the extravagant meal we had left behind hours ago.
We moved silently through the stainless steel prep stations, heading toward the back hallway that led to the basement stairs.
A faint sliver of light was visible under the basement door.
Luca held up a hand, signaling us to stop.
He leaned close to my ear, his breath warm against my skin.
“Go down first,” he whispered. “Keep her talking. Matteo and I will flank her.”
I nodded, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs.
I pushed the basement door open.
The stairs creaked slightly under my weight as I descended into the damp, concrete-lined cellar.
The basement was massive, filled with wine racks and dry goods. But at the far end of the room, illuminated by a single hanging bulb, was a massive, circular steel vault door set directly into the concrete wall.
Kneeling in front of the vault, struggling to turn a heavy iron key in the secondary lock, was Vanessa.
She was still wearing her coat, her hair a messy tangle, her expensive makeup smeared across her cheeks.
“Having trouble, Mrs. Bellini?” I asked loudly.
Vanessa shrieked, spinning around and dropping the heavy iron key onto the concrete floor.
When she saw it was just me, her terror instantly morphed into furious indignation.
“Rachel!” she gasped, clutching her chest. “What the hell are you doing here?!”
“I work here,” I said calmly, walking slowly down the center aisle of the wine racks. “The question is, what are you doing here? The engagement is off, remember?”
Vanessa sneered, scrambling to pick up the iron key.
“You stupid little maid,” Vanessa spat. “You ruined my life tonight. But it doesn't matter. Once I open this door, I’ll have enough money to disappear forever.”
“You can't open it,” I said, stopping ten feet away from her. “It requires two keys. You only have Carmela’s.”
Vanessa laughed, a harsh, desperate sound.
“You think I’m an idiot?” she smirked, holding up a second key. This one was smaller, made of sleek titanium. “I copied Luca’s key weeks ago while he was sleeping. He’s a fool. He trusted me completely.”
My blood ran cold. She had both keys.
Vanessa turned back to the vault, inserting the second key into the primary lock.
“Enjoy cleaning up the mess, Rachel,” Vanessa laughed, gripping both keys.
“I don't think she will,” a dark, lethal voice echoed through the basement.
Vanessa froze.
Luca stepped out from the shadows of the wine racks, Matteo flanked directly behind him.
May you like
Vanessa slowly turned her head, the color completely draining from her face.
She wasn't looking at a fool anymore. She was looking at the Devil.
