Chapter 8 - THE CHAIN MATCHED MY FATHER'S CRUCIFIX
I stared at the gold chain wrapped around Victor Thorne’s wrist.
The links were thick, twisted in a unique, braided pattern.
It wasn’t just similar. It was an exact match.
The world slowed down.
My father’s "accident."
The brakes on his truck failing on a steep hill.
The police ruling it a tragic mechanical failure.
I looked up from the chain into Thorne’s smiling, arrogant eyes.
“You killed him,” I whispered.
Thorne’s smile didn’t waver, but his eyes narrowed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Isabella. Come along.”
“My father,” I said, my voice rising, vibrating with a rage I had never felt before. “The mechanic. You killed him.”
Thorne sighed, as if bored by the accusation.
“He was a loose end. He knew too much about your mother’s past. He was getting paranoid. I simply tied up the loose end before he could talk to Luca.”
He reached for my arm.
“Now, let’s go.”
He expected me to shrink back.
He expected the terrified maid.
He didn’t expect the gun Luca had given me.
In one fluid motion, I reached into the deep pocket of my apron, pulled out the small black handgun, and shoved the barrel directly upward, pressing it hard under Thorne’s chin.
Thorne froze.
The men on the balcony instantly raised their weapons, the red laser dots dancing across my chest and Luca’s.
“Tell them to drop their guns,” I ordered, my finger tight against the trigger.
My hand wasn’t shaking anymore.
Thorne swallowed hard, the cold steel digging into his throat.
“You pull that trigger, little girl, and my men will turn you and Luca into Swiss cheese.”
“Maybe,” I said, my voice deadly calm. “But you’ll be dead before I hit the floor. And a dead man can’t run the syndicate.”
I pressed the gun harder.
“Tell them to drop the guns.”
For three agonizing seconds, the ballroom was completely silent.
I could hear Vanessa whimpering on the floor.
I could hear Luca’s steady breathing behind me.
Thorne looked down into my eyes.
He saw the Moretti blood there. The absolute lack of hesitation.
He knew I would do it.
He raised his right hand slowly.
“Stand down,” Thorne called out to the balcony.
The lasers disappeared.
The heavy thud of six rifles hitting the wooden balcony echoed through the room.
“Kick the gun away,” I ordered Thorne.
He carefully dropped his own weapon and kicked it aside.
Before Thorne could even blink, Luca moved.
He didn’t grab his gun.
He closed the distance between him and Thorne in a fraction of a second.
Luca grabbed Thorne by the lapels of his tailored suit, spun him around, and slammed him violently face-first into the nearest marble pillar.
The sickening crack of Thorne’s nose breaking filled the room.
Thorne crumpled to the floor, groaning in agony, blood pouring over his chin.
Luca picked up his gun from the floor.
He aimed it down at Thorne.
Suddenly, the grand doors of the ballroom burst open again.
But this time, it wasn’t Thorne’s men.
It was the Chicago Police Department, led by Detective Miller, a man long on Luca’s payroll.
Scores of heavily armed officers flooded the room, securing the balcony and rushing toward Thorne.
“Mr. Moretti,” Miller said, stepping forward. “We got your distress signal. The perimeter is secure.”
Luca didn’t lower his gun from Thorne’s bleeding face.
“Arrest him,” Luca said coldly. “For the murder of Elena Moretti, and the murder of David Santos.”
Officers hauled Thorne to his feet, slapping cuffs on his wrists.
Thorne spat blood onto the floor, glaring at Luca.
“This isn’t over, Luca. You can’t hold the families together without my money.”
“I don’t need your money,” Luca said. “I have family.”
He turned away from Thorne as the police dragged him out.
Vanessa was still sitting on the floor, shaking uncontrollably.
She looked up at Luca with wide, tear-filled eyes.
“Luca… please. He forced me. My father forced me. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Luca looked down at her.
The woman he was supposed to marry in two days.
“You sold my mother’s memory for a payday, Vanessa.”
He gestured to Detective Miller.
“Take her too. Accessory to extortion.”
“No!” Vanessa screamed as an officer grabbed her arm. “Luca, please! I love you!”
Luca didn’t even blink as they dragged her out of the ballroom.
The heavy doors closed.
The police filed out to process the scene.
Suddenly, the massive ballroom was empty, save for me and Luca.
I lowered the small handgun, my adrenaline finally crashing.
My knees gave out.
I started to fall.
Luca was there before I hit the floor.
His strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest.
He held me tightly, burying his face in my hair.
“You’re safe,” he whispered fiercely, his breath hot against my ear. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
I buried my face in his ruined suit, the smell of gunpowder and his expensive cologne overwhelming my senses.
I started to cry. Not from fear, but from the sheer relief of it all.
Luca held me until my tears finally stopped.
He slowly pulled back, his hands resting gently on my shoulders.
He looked deeply into my eyes.
May you like
“There is one more thing we need to do,” Luca said softly.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, heavy iron key.
