Chapter 5 - THE STANDOFF
Screams erupted. Guests dropped to the floor, spilling champagne and overturning chairs.
Vanessa pointed the gun directly at Uncle Joe’s chest.
“Don’t anyone move!” she shrieked, her hand shaking wildly. “Marco, tell your men to back off!”
Marco had his hand inside his jacket, gripping his own weapon, but he froze when he saw the barrel aimed at the old man. Luca stood completely still, his hands raised slightly.
“Vanessa,” Luca said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “Put the gun down. You’re not getting out of here.”
“Shut up!” she screamed. “I spent my entire life crawling out of the gutter! My mother died in a filthy motel room because your family hunted us! The Romanos promised me protection, money, everything—if I just married you and secured the estate.”
She grabbed little Leo by the collar of his sweater, dragging him roughly to her side. The boy wailed, thrashing in terror.
“Mommy, no! You're hurting me!” Leo cried.
“Quiet!” she snapped.
Seeing her manhandle the child snapped something inside me. I wasn’t a mafia enforcer. I was a housekeeper who had spent the last nine months scrubbing floors to keep my own family afloat. I knew what family meant. And this monster didn’t.
I was standing only three feet to Vanessa's left, partially concealed by a heavy velvet curtain.
As Vanessa turned her gun back toward Luca to make a demand, I didn't think. I lunged.
I slammed my serving tray directly into her wrist.
A loud CRACK echoed through the room. The gun fired into the ceiling, showering plaster onto the dining table. Vanessa screamed in pain and dropped the weapon.
In a flash, Marco was on her. He pinned her to the ground, zip-tying her wrists before she could even take a breath.
I fell to my knees, wrapping my arms around little Leo. The boy buried his face into my shoulder, shaking violently.
“I’ve got you,” I whispered, rocking him. “You’re safe now.”
Luca walked over to where Vanessa was pinned to the floor. He looked down at her, his expression devoid of any mercy.
“Marco,” Luca said quietly. “Hand her over to the police. Give them the music box, the locket, and the watch. Let them lock her away for extortion and attempted murder.”
Vanessa spat at his shoes. “You think this is over, Luca? The Romanos will never stop! As long as you have that house deed, they will hunt you!”
“Let them try,” Luca said. He turned his back on her.
As Marco dragged a screaming Vanessa out of the ballroom, the heavy doors shut, leaving a stunned silence in their wake.
Luca turned to Uncle Joe. He knelt in front of the wheelchair again.
“Uncle Joe,” Luca said, his voice thick with emotion. “I am so sorry.”
Joe smiled, placing a wrinkled hand on Luca’s cheek. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Anthony. You’re the man your father hoped you’d become.”
Luca stood up and looked at me. I was still sitting on the floor, holding Leo.
“Emma,” Luca said softly. “You saved Joe’s life. You saved my nephew.”
“He was just a little boy,” I said, wiping a tear from my cheek.
Luca looked at Leo, then at Joe. “Marco will clear the guests. Tonight, this house belongs to family.”
For the first time in thirty-three years, the ghosts of Luca's past were put to rest. The truth was out. My father’s name was cleared in my heart.
But as the police sirens wailed in the distance, one of the caterers nervously approached Luca, holding a small object wrapped in a napkin.
“Mr. Moretti,” the caterer stammered. “When Miss Bellini dropped her purse… this fell out.”
Luca took the napkin and opened it.
Inside was a heavy silver bracelet.
I gasped. I recognized it instantly. It was a custom ID bracelet I had bought for my younger brother, Sam, for his high school graduation.
“Why did Vanessa have Sam’s bracelet?” I whispered, cold dread pooling in my stomach.
My phone vibrated in my apron pocket.
May you like
It was a text from an unknown number.
“We have the boy. Bring the Gold Coast deed to the docks, or the housekeeper’s brother burns.”
