Chapter 8 - THE RECKONING
The rain lashed against the rusty metal of the fire escape, but I couldn’t feel the cold. I couldn’t feel the throbbing in my ribs. All I could feel was the terrifying, icy grip of betrayal.
Maria.
The woman who had baked Luca’s birthday cakes. The woman who had wiped his tears when his mother died. She stood in my living room, her grey hair perfectly pinned back, aiming a gun at the boy she had helped raise.
“Maria,” Luca said. His voice wasn’t angry. It was devastated. He lowered his weapon slightly, refusing to aim it at her. “Why?”
Maria’s face twisted into a mask of bitter resentment.
“You think your family built this empire alone, Luca?” she spat, stepping over the threshold. The three armed men behind her kept their rifles trained on him. “My husband died protecting your father. My son took a bullet for Leo. And what did we get? A nice pension. A pat on the head. While you live in palaces, we bleed for you.”
I clutched Mia tighter to my side on the wet metal grating. The little girl was shaking violently, her face buried in my apron.
“Chicago offered you a seat at the table,” Luca deduced, his eyes locking onto the gun in her hand. “You used Anthony to flush Leo out. You used Dr. Bennett to lock the gates. You orchestrated all of it.”
“Anthony was greedy. Bennett was a coward. But yes, I pulled the strings,” Maria said, taking a step closer. “And I killed Anthony when he became a liability. Just like I’m going to kill you.”
“You won’t get away with this,” Luca said quietly. “Marco will burn the city down looking for you.”
“Marco works for whoever pays him,” Maria sneered. “And once Chicago takes over the waterfront, I’ll be the one writing his checks.”
Maria raised the gun, aiming directly at Luca’s heart.
“No!” I screamed.
I didn’t think. I just reacted.
I pushed Mia down onto the metal grating to keep her safe, and I hurled myself through the open kitchen window back into the apartment.
I didn’t go for Maria. I went for the nearest armed man standing by the door. I slammed into him with all my weight, driving my elbow upward into his jaw. He stumbled backward, his rifle discharging into the ceiling with a deafening CRACK.
The distraction lasted a fraction of a second, but for Luca Romano, that was an eternity.
Luca lunged over the overturned table.
He didn't shoot Maria. He tackled her, knocking the gun from her hand as they crashed to the floor.
The other two men swung their weapons toward Luca.
Before they could pull their triggers, the apartment door exploded off its hinges.
Marco stormed in, flanked by four Romano enforcers heavily armed with tactical shotguns. The small living room suddenly felt like a war zone.
“Drop them!” Marco roared, his shotgun aimed squarely at the chest of Chicago’s men.
The syndicate men looked at Marco, looked at the shotguns, and slowly lowered their weapons to the floor.
Luca pushed himself up from the ground, breathing heavily. He looked down at Maria. She wasn't fighting anymore. She lay on the cheap carpet, staring at the ceiling, looking older and more broken than I had ever seen her.
“Take her,” Luca commanded, turning his back on the woman who had betrayed him. His voice was completely devoid of emotion.
Marco grabbed Maria roughly by the arms and hauled her out the door. The enforcers dragged the three gunmen behind them.
The apartment fell into a heavy, ringing silence.
I stood by the window, clutching my side, gasping for air as the adrenaline began to crash.
Luca turned to me.
The cold Mafia boss was gone instantly. He crossed the room in two strides, his large hands gently cupping my face.
“Anna,” he breathed, his eyes searching mine frantically. “Are you hurt? Did they hit you?”
“No,” I cried, shaking my head. “No, I’m okay.”
He pulled me into a fierce, desperate embrace. I buried my face in his chest, letting the tears fall.
“You stepped in front of a gun for me,” Luca whispered into my hair, his voice breaking. “You foolish, incredibly brave woman. Why would you do that?”
“Because you promised to protect us,” I sobbed. “I had to protect you.”
A tiny hand tugged on Luca’s wet trousers.
We pulled apart and looked down.
Mia had climbed back through the window. She was standing there, clutching her teddy bear, looking up at Luca with those big, solemn blue eyes.
“Uncle Luca?” she asked in her small, hoarse voice.
Luca dropped to his knees, his eyes welling with fresh tears. “Yes, piccolina?”
“Are the bad people gone?”
Luca reached out and gently brushed a wet curl from her forehead.
“Yes,” he promised, his voice steady and strong. “They are gone. And they are never, ever coming back.”
He scooped the little girl up into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. He stood up, looking at me over her shoulder. The intensity in his dark eyes made my breath catch.
“Let’s go home, Anna,” Luca said.
I nodded, wiping my tears.
We walked out of the apartment together, leaving the darkness behind.
But as we reached the bottom of the stairs, the front door to the building opened.
A figure stood in the rain, battered, bleeding, and clutching his left arm.
May you like
It was Leo.
And he was looking directly at me.
