**THE MAFIA BOSS WATCHED ME CATCH A HEAVY SILVER SERVING TRAY AS HIS 78-YEAR-OLD MOTHER COLLAPSED TO HER KNEES AT HIS ENGAGEMENT DINNER—THEN HIS FIANCÉE SAID, “SHE INSISTED ON HELPING THE SERVANTS. SHE USED TO WAIT TABLES, REMEMBER?” BEFORE LUCA EVEN ASKED WHY HIS MOTHER WAS WEARING A WHITE APRON OVER HER EVENING DRESS.**

The explosion of safety glass rained down on my shoulders like icy hail.

I screamed, throwing my arms up to protect my face as the cold night wind howled through the shattered back window. Teresa shrieked beside me, pressing herself flat against the leather seats.

Julian reached through the broken frame, his face blackened with soot and twisted with manic fury. He grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking me backward with terrifying strength.

"Drive off the road!" Julian roared over the wind, pressing the heavy crowbar against my throat. "Or I snap her neck!"

"Brake!" Luca screamed from the front seat.

Daniel slammed on the brakes. The heavy SUV skidded violently on the wet asphalt, fishtailing toward the edge of the road before grinding to a violent halt against the guardrail.

The sudden stop threw Julian off balance. His grip on my hair slipped, and the crowbar dropped away from my throat.

Luca didn't waste a millisecond.

He lunged out of the passenger door, a sleek black handgun drawn before his feet even hit the pavement. He spun around to the back of the SUV, aiming directly at his uncle.

"Get off my car, Julian!" Luca roared, his voice cutting through the ringing silence of the night.

Julian scrambled off the bumper, landing heavily on the asphalt. He looked cornered, desperate, and completely deranged. He raised the crowbar, fully prepared to swing at his nephew.

Luca fired a warning shot into the pavement directly between Julian's feet. The concrete shattered, sending sharp fragments flying.

Julian flinched, dropping the crowbar. He raised his hands, a cruel, mocking smile returning to his face despite his imminent capture.

"You always were quick on the draw, Luca," Julian sneered, backing away slowly. "But you're too late. The Bellinis are already at the harbor. They have the container."

"What container?" Luca demanded, stepping closer, keeping the gun perfectly steady.

Julian laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "You really think this was about Vanessa marrying you? Or me wanting revenge for being exiled? Dominic Bellini doesn't care about family pride. He cares about what your father hid twenty years ago."

Teresa gasped from the back seat. She opened the car door and stepped out, ignoring the shattered glass. "The ledger," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Antonio's ledger."

Julian’s eyes locked onto Teresa. "Ah. So he did tell you."

Luca looked confused. "What ledger?"

"Twenty years ago," Teresa explained, tears filling her eyes, "your father discovered that Dominic Bellini was running a human trafficking ring through the South Side docks. Antonio refused to allow it in our territory. He shut them down and took Dominic's operational ledger as blackmail to ensure they never tried it again."

She looked at Julian with profound disgust. "But you... you wanted the money Dominic was offering. You betrayed your own brother."

"I was securing our future!" Julian spat back. "Antonio was weak! He was leaving millions on the table because of his pathetic morals!"

"He exiled you," Luca realized, the pieces finally falling into place. "He didn't die in a boating accident. He caught you, and he forced you to disappear."

"And now I'm back," Julian sneered. "And Dominic wants his ledger back. Because if the Feds ever find it, the Bellini family is finished."

"Where is it?" Luca demanded.

"Vanessa has it," Julian laughed. "That was her real mission. While she was playing the demanding fiancée, she was searching this house. She found it yesterday. Hidden in the false bottom of your mother's jewelry box."

Teresa covered her mouth in horror. "My jewelry box... the one Antonio built for me."

"She has the ledger, and she has Dominic's protection at the harbor," Julian said, his eyes gleaming with malicious triumph. "You have nothing, Luca. Your house is gone. Your reputation is ruined. You lost."

Luca lowered his gun slightly. He didn't look angry anymore. He looked cold, calculating, and absolutely lethal.

"Daniel," Luca said softly. "Put him in the trunk."

Julian’s smile vanished. "What?"

Daniel didn't hesitate. He stepped out of the driver's side, grabbed Julian by the collar, and slammed his head violently against the side of the SUV. Julian crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Daniel threw him into the trunk and slammed it shut.

Luca turned to his mother. "Mom, Daniel is going to take you and Hannah to the safe house in the city. You will be protected there."

"Where are you going?" Teresa cried, grabbing his arm.

"To the harbor," Luca said. "I am going to get Dad's ledger back. And I am going to end the Bellini family tonight."

"You can't go alone!" I blurted out, stepping out of the car. My legs were shaking, and my heart was hammering, but I couldn't stay quiet. "They have an army waiting for you!"

Luca looked at me, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. "I won't be alone, Hannah. My tactical teams are already mobilizing."

He looked at Daniel. "Keep them safe."

Luca turned and sprinted toward a secondary security vehicle that had just pulled up behind us. He jumped in, and the car sped off into the night.

Daniel ushered us back into the SUV. We drove in silence for twenty minutes, the adrenaline slowly wearing off, leaving me feeling cold and terrified.

When we finally arrived at the safe house—a nondescript, high-security luxury apartment in downtown Chicago—Daniel led us inside and locked the heavy steel doors.

Teresa sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the wall, completely shattered by the night's events.

I went to the kitchen to get her a glass of water.

As I opened the cabinet, I noticed something strange resting on the counter.

It was a small, red velvet box.

I frowned, picking it up. I opened the lid.

Inside was a delicate, antique diamond bracelet. But that wasn't what caught my attention.

Tucked under the bracelet was a small, folded piece of thick parchment paper with the Bellini family crest stamped on the front.

I opened the note.

Hannah, the elegant, feminine handwriting read. If you are reading this, you survived the explosion. I always knew you were smarter than you looked. But smart girls shouldn't get involved in mafia wars. By the time you read this, Luca is already walking into a trap at Pier 42. Dominic isn't waiting for him. I am. And I have the detonator.