Chapter 8 - THE FLASHLIGHT
Matteo instantly sprang to his feet, pulling his weapon.
He positioned himself between the door and the sofa, shielding Leo and me with his body. The warmth of the fire suddenly felt like a spotlight.
The heavy deadbolt rattled violently.
"Stay down," Matteo whispered, his voice cold and deadly.
I slid off the sofa, pulling the sleeping Leo onto the floor behind the thick leather furniture, wrapping my body around him. I held my breath, clutching the plastic USB envelope in my pocket.
The door burst open in a shower of splintered wood.
Three beams of blinding flashlight cut through the darkness of the cabin.
"Drop the weapon, Vescari!" a voice barked.
It wasn't Marcus.
It was the distinct, authoritative command of federal law enforcement.
Matteo didn't lower his gun. In his world, a badge was just a price tag. "Who sent you?"
"FBI. Special Agent Harris," a tall man stepped into the firelight, lowering his weapon slightly but keeping it trained on Matteo. "We intercepted a radio transmission from a corrupt unit of city police. They reported an explosion at your carriage house."
Agent Harris.
The exact man Matteo had told me to find. The only man in the city not bought by the syndicate.
Matteo slowly lowered his gun, placing it on the floor.
"Harris," Matteo exhaled, the tension leaving his shoulders. "You're late."
Harris holstered his weapon, signaling his men to stand down. "Better late than on Marcus's payroll. We found Julian in the tunnel. He’s singing like a bird to secure a plea deal. He gave up Marcus, the corrupt commissioner, everything."
I slowly stood up, carrying Leo in my arms.
Agent Harris looked at me, then at the boy. His hard expression softened. "Is the child hurt?"
"No," I said quietly. "He's safe."
"Julian told us about the USB drive," Harris said, turning back to Matteo. "He said Elena hid it. If we don't have that drive, Marcus and the commissioner will walk. They have too many lawyers. We need the hard evidence."
Matteo looked at me.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the plastic envelope. I walked over and handed it to Agent Harris.
Harris inspected it, a grim smile spreading across his face. "This is it. The offshore accounts, the wire transfers, the hit orders. You just dismantled the biggest corrupt syndicate in the state, Vescari."
"I didn't do it," Matteo said, looking directly at me. "She did."
By sunrise, the nightmare was over.
Federal agents swarmed the estate. Marcus was arrested trying to flee the city on a private jet. The corrupt police commissioner was taken out of his own bed in handcuffs, broadcast on every morning news channel in the country.
The Vescari estate, once a fortress of secrets and shadows, was suddenly bathed in the harsh light of justice.
Matteo was cleared of all charges. The evidence proved he had been systematically framed and undermined by his own brother and head of security.
An ambulance arrived to treat my leg. As the paramedic wrapped a fresh, professional bandage around my calf, I sat on the tailgate of the ambulance, watching the chaos.
I was exhausted. My uniform was torn, burned, and covered in soot.
I felt a small hand tug on my sleeve.
I looked down. Leo was standing there, holding a juice box. He looked completely unbothered by the flashing police lights.
"Are you going to leave now?" Leo asked, his big brown eyes looking up at me with terrifying vulnerability.
My heart broke. I was a maid. The job was over. The estate would be shut down for investigations.
"I don't know, sweetie," I said honestly, brushing a curl from his forehead.
"You can't leave," Leo said firmly. "You promised you would protect me."
Before I could answer, a shadow fell over us.
Matteo stood there. He had washed the soot from his face and put on a clean jacket, but the raw, emotional intensity in his eyes remained.
"He's right," Matteo said softly.
He dismissed the paramedic with a nod and sat down next to me on the edge of the ambulance.
"The estate is going to be empty for a while," Matteo said, looking out at his property. "I'm firing the entire staff. Starting over. Building something legitimate. Something Elena would be proud of."
May you like
He turned to look at me.
"Which means you are out of a job, Miss Bennett."
