Chapter 12 - THE BLOOD ON THE MARBLE
The explosion rattled the crystal chandeliers in the kitchen.
“Rebecca?!” the security chief yelled over the phone.
“He’s here,” I whispered, hanging up instantly.
I didn't scream. I didn't freeze. My ER training took over—assess, act, survive.
I ran to the intercom on the wall and slammed the emergency lockdown button. Steel shutters instantly slammed down over all the ground-floor windows.
I sprinted down the hallway toward the guest wing.
Nicholas’s footsteps echoed casually on the marble behind me. He wasn't running. He was hunting.
“Luca isn't here, Rebecca!” Nicholas called out, his voice smooth and taunting. “Such a shame. He left his home completely undefended.”
I reached the guest suite. Sofia, Sarah, and Aunt Beth were huddled together, terrified. Leo was crying.
“Panic room. Now,” I ordered.
I pushed the hidden panel behind the bookshelf. The heavy steel door slid open. I shoved them all inside.
“Lock it from the inside,” I told Aunt Beth. “Do not open it until Luca tells you to.”
“Rebecca, come inside!” Aunt Beth pleaded.
“He knows I’m out here. If I hide, he’ll blow the door. I have to lead him away.”
I slammed the steel door shut. The lock engaged. They were safe.
I turned back to the hallway.
Nicholas was standing at the far end, silhouetted in the dim emergency lighting.
He smiled. The jagged scar on his cheek twisted hideously.
“Very brave, Nurse Collins,” Nicholas said, raising his pistol.
I didn't wait. I turned and sprinted toward the grand staircase.
A bullet shattered the antique vase on a pedestal right next to my head, showering me in porcelain shards.
I scrambled up the carpeted stairs, my breath burning in my lungs.
I needed a weapon. I needed an advantage.
I ran into Luca’s master bedroom and locked the heavy mahogany doors.
It wouldn't hold him long.
I grabbed my medical bag, which I had left on the bed.
Think, Rebecca. Think.
Nicholas kicked the bedroom door. The wood groaned.
He kicked it again. The frame splintered.
I pulled out a syringe and a vial.
Potassium Chloride.
In controlled doses, it treats low potassium. Pushed straight into a vein without dilution, it stops the heart instantly. Lethal injection.
I drew the clear liquid into the syringe.
The bedroom doors burst open.
Nicholas walked in, sweeping the gun across the room.
I stepped out from behind the heavy velvet curtains, holding my hands up. The syringe was hidden up my sleeve, pressed against my wrist.
“Don't shoot,” I breathed, acting perfectly terrified.
Nicholas chuckled. “Where is the boy, Rebecca? Hand over my son, and I’ll make this quick.”
“You don't care about Leo,” I said, backing slowly toward the center of the room. “You abandoned him.”
“He’s a loose end,” Nicholas said coldly. “As long as he lives, he’s a threat to my claim on the estate. Luca adopted him in his heart, which makes him an heir. That ends tonight.”
He stepped closer, aiming the gun directly at my chest.
“Last chance. Where is he?”
“He’s safe,” I said.
Nicholas sighed. “Such a waste.”
His finger tightened on the trigger.
Suddenly, a massive, dark figure shattered the reinforced glass of the balcony doors behind Nicholas.
Luca.
He had scaled the outside of the mansion.
Before Nicholas could turn, Luca tackled his brother to the floor.
The gun fired wildly, the bullet tearing into the ceiling.
The two brothers grappled on the hardwood floor, a brutal, primal fight for survival. Nicholas was faster, but Luca was fueled by absolute rage.
Nicholas managed to break free, driving his elbow into Luca’s recovering chest. Luca gasped in pain, his poisoned heart still tender.
Nicholas scrambled for the dropped gun.
He grabbed the grip.
I lunged.
I fell on top of Nicholas, pinning his gun hand to the floor.
He snarled, striking me in the face with his free hand. My lip split open, tasting of copper, but I didn't let go.
I slid the syringe from my sleeve.
I didn't aim for a vein. I didn't have time.
I jammed the needle straight through the expensive fabric of Nicholas’s suit, directly into his thigh muscle.
I slammed the plunger down.
Nicholas roared in pain, throwing me off him.
He stood up, pointing the gun at me.
But his hand began to shake.
The massive dose of Potassium Chloride hit his bloodstream.
His eyes widened in sudden, agonizing panic. He dropped the gun, clutching his chest as his heart rhythm turned instantly chaotic.
He looked at Luca, who was struggling to his feet.
“Nico,” Luca said softly, watching his brother fall.
Nicholas collapsed onto his knees, gasping for breath. Then, he pitched forward onto the expensive Persian rug, completely still.
The lethal injection had done its job.
I lay on the floor, panting, blood dripping from my lip.
Luca stumbled over to me. He dropped to his knees, pulling me into his arms, holding me so tightly I could barely breathe.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered into my hair, his body trembling. “I’ve got you.”
“Is it over?” I cried, burying my face in his chest.
He looked at his dead brother on the floor. The ghosts of his past were finally, permanently gone.
“Yes,” Luca said softly. “It’s over.”
Six months later.
The sun was shining brightly over the Ferraro estate.
The armed guards at the gate were gone. The security cameras remained, but the oppressive, terrifying atmosphere of the mafia mansion had completely vanished.
I stood on the back patio, wearing a simple white sundress, holding a cup of coffee.
I looked out over the massive, manicured lawn.
Luca was running across the grass, laughing. He wasn't wearing a dark suit. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
He was chasing Leo, who was giggling hysterically as he ran toward the large, wooden swing set Luca had built with his own two hands.
“Gotcha!” Luca cheered, scooping the little boy up and spinning him in the air.
Leo squealed with pure delight. “Uncle Luca, again! Again!”
Luca smiled, setting the boy on the swing and pushing him gently.
I watched them, my heart incredibly full.
Sofia was sitting in a lounge chair nearby, reading a book in the sun. Aunt Beth had returned to Seattle, but she called every Sunday.
The Ferraro empire had been dismantled. Luca had sold the illegal businesses, kept the legitimate real estate, and used the massive offshore trust to set up a foundation in Elizabeth’s name.
We were no longer a crime family. We were just a family.
Luca jogged over to the patio, slightly out of breath, a massive, genuine smile on his face.
He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“He’s got too much energy,” Luca chuckled.
“He’s seven,” I smiled, leaning back against him. “It’s your job to keep up.”
Luca turned me around so I was facing him.
He looked down at me, his dark eyes filled with absolute peace and profound love.
He reached into his pocket.
He pulled out the tarnished gold locket we had found in the wheelchair so many months ago.
He had it cleaned. Polished.
He opened it.
Inside, there was no picture of a tragic past.
There was a tiny photograph of me, Luca, and Leo, smiling together on the day Leo’s adoption was finalized.
“I want you to wear this,” Luca said softly, placing the gold chain around my neck.
I touched the warm metal, tears pricking my eyes.
“I love you, Rebecca,” Luca whispered, brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
“I love you too,” I replied.
He kissed me, sweet and lingering in the morning sun.
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The past was buried. The secrets were gone. The heart that I had stopped was finally beating only for love.
And as Leo called for us from the swing, we walked hand-in-hand across the grass, ready to begin the rest of our lives.
