Chapter 8 - WHEN THE BOSS LOCKS THE DOORS
The heavy thud of the silver rosary hitting the marble floor echoed through the cathedral.
For a single, fatal second, Vanessa Bellini looked away from my daughter.
Luca moved with terrifying speed.
He didn't raise his gun to shoot—he knew a missed bullet in the cavernous, echoing church could ricochet and hit Sophie. Instead, he closed the distance between them like a predator.
Vanessa heard his footsteps and snapped her head up, raising her pistol.
“Luca, no!” I screamed.
But Luca was already there. He slammed his left forearm violently against Vanessa’s wrist. The loud crack of breaking bone echoed through the cathedral, followed instantly by Vanessa’s agonizing shriek.
The silver pistol clattered harmlessly across the marble floor.
Luca grabbed Vanessa by the lapels of her expensive white coat and threw her backward. She hit the edge of a heavy oak pew and crumpled to the ground, sobbing in pain, clutching her shattered wrist.
I didn't wait.
I sprinted down the aisle, my boots slipping on the polished stone, and dropped to my knees at the altar steps.
I grabbed Sophie, pulling her small, trembling body into my arms.
“I’ve got you,” I sobbed, burying my face in her hair. “Mommy’s got you, baby. You’re safe.”
Sophie clung to my neck, crying hysterically. “She said she was going to hurt you, Mom! She said I made you lose your job!”
“Shhh,” I rocked her back and forth, kissing her cheeks, her forehead, wiping her tears. “She lied, baby. She can’t hurt us anymore.”
Behind me, the sound of heavy boots filled the church. Luca’s men, led by Vince, swarmed in from the side entrances, securing the perimeter.
Luca stood over Vanessa. He was breathing heavily, his dark eyes devoid of any mercy.
Vanessa looked up at him from the floor, her face pale and streaked with mascara. She cradled her broken wrist against her chest.
“You’re going to lose everything, Luca,” she spat, her voice laced with venom despite her pain. “When the commission finds out about your real father, they’ll strip you of the territory. They’ll kill you.”
“Let them try,” Luca said, his voice a low, rumbling threat.
He leaned down, grabbing the silver rosary off the floor. He dropped it into his pocket.
“You’re done, Vanessa,” Luca said coldly. “The FBI received a very interesting package delivered to their field office an hour ago. The ledger, the SD card from Mark’s shop, and a full confession from your brother.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened in sheer panic. “You gave them the ledger? Are you insane? Your mother’s name is in that book! You’ll destroy your own family!”
“My family was already destroyed,” Luca replied flatly. “I just finished cleaning up the wreckage.”
He turned to Vince.
“Call the police,” Luca ordered. “Tell them we apprehended the woman who kidnapped Emily’s daughter. They can pick her up here.”
“Yes, Boss,” Vince said, dragging a screaming, thrashing Vanessa to her feet by her good arm.
Luca turned away from her and walked toward the altar steps where I was sitting with Sophie.
The adrenaline was slowly leaving my system, replaced by a deep, bone-crushing exhaustion. I looked up at Luca as he stopped in front of us.
He dropped to one knee on the marble floor.
He didn't look like a mafia boss anymore. He looked like a man who had just walked through fire and finally found water.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Luca asked softly, reaching out to gently touch Sophie’s arm.
Sophie sniffled, pulling back slightly from my shoulder to look at him. She nodded.
“Did you beat up the mean lady?” Sophie asked, her voice small.
A tiny, exhausted smile touched Luca’s lips. “I made sure she can never, ever hurt you or your mom again. I promise.”
Sophie reached out with her small hand and touched the lapel of Luca’s suit jacket.
“Thank you, Mr. Luca,” she whispered.
Luca closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the pure, uncomplicated gratitude of a child. He reached forward and carefully wrapped his massive arms around both of us, pulling me and Sophie into a tight, grounding embrace.
I rested my head against his shoulder, breathing in the scent of cedar and expensive cologne, feeling completely and utterly safe for the first time since my husband died.
Two hours later, we were back at the Lake Forest estate.
The police had taken Vanessa into custody. Marco was already in a holding cell. The Bellini family’s reign of manipulation and theft was permanently over.
I gave Sophie a warm bath, changed her into soft pajamas, and tucked her into the massive bed in the East Suite. The trauma of the morning had exhausted her, and she fell asleep almost instantly, clutching her father’s baseball cap.
I quietly closed the bedroom door and walked out into the hallway.
Luca was leaning against the wall, staring out the large window at the expansive gardens. He had taken off his suit jacket and tie, the top buttons of his shirt undone. He looked incredibly tired.
“She’s asleep,” I said softly, walking over to him.
Luca turned his head, his dark eyes finding mine.
“I’m sorry you had to see that today, Emily,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry you had to see what I’m capable of.”
“You protected us,” I replied, stepping closer. “You didn't shoot her, Luca. You restrained yourself, even when she threatened the person I love most in the world. That makes you a good man.”
Luca shook his head slowly, looking back out the window.
“The commission called a meeting for tonight,” he confessed, the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Marco leaked the truth about my father before I caught him. The other families know I’m not Frank Moretti’s blood.”
My heart ached for him. “What does that mean?”
“It means I have a choice to make,” Luca said, turning to face me fully. “I can go to the meeting tonight, fight for my seat, and probably start a war that will bleed into the streets for years.”
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He reached out, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His touch sent a warm shiver down my spine.
“Or,” Luca whispered, “I can walk away.”
