Chapter 8 - THE LEGACY
The sound of the gunshots in the enclosed server room was deafening.
Muzzle flashes strobed like lightning in the dark, illuminating brief, violent snapshots of the room.
I dove to the floor, pulling Toby underneath me, shielding his small body with my own. He screamed, his hands clamped over his ears.
“Stay down, baby! Don’t move!” I sobbed into his hair.
I heard Mrs. Gable shriek in the darkness, followed by the heavy thud of a body hitting the carpet.
“I can’t see him!” Thomas yelled, his voice panicked. He fired blindly into the dark, the bullets tearing through the metal server racks.
Suddenly, a heavy object swung through the blackness and collided with bone.
Thomas grunted violently. His gun clattered to the floor.
I heard the sound of a brutal struggle. Fists hitting flesh. Heavy breathing.
Then, total silence.
The emergency backup lights flickered on, casting a dim, yellow glow over the room.
I lifted my head, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Luca was standing over Thomas.
Thomas was unconscious, bleeding heavily from his temple.
Near the door, Mrs. Gable was groaning, clutching her wrist. Luca had thrown a fire extinguisher at her in the dark, breaking her arm and disarming her.
Luca picked up his Sig Sauer from the floor. He didn’t look relieved. He looked furious.
He walked over to me and knelt down.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice rough.
“No. We’re okay,” I gasped, sitting up and checking Toby. My son was crying, terrified, but completely unharmed.
Luca let out a breath and rested his forehead against mine for a brief, startling second.
“I got you,” he whispered.
The heavy footsteps I had heard earlier suddenly reached the bottom of the stairs.
A group of men in dark suits flooded into the basement. They were carrying assault rifles.
I pulled Toby back, terrified.
But Luca didn’t raise his gun.
The men lowered their weapons. A tall man with silver hair stepped forward.
“Boss,” the man said. “We got your signal.”
It was Luca’s men.
“How did they know we were here?” I asked, stunned.
Luca reached into his pocket and pulled out the yellow manila envelope.
“Because this isn’t the blueprint,” Luca said.
He ripped open the envelope.
Inside was a GPS tracker, blinking with a steady red light.
I stared at it. “I don’t understand. Thomas said David hid the blueprints here.”
“He did,” Luca said softly. “Three years ago. And I found them two years ago.”
I looked at him in shock.
“When David died,” Luca explained, his voice softening, “I went through everything he owned. I found the dummy corporation. I found this warehouse. I found the blueprints taped behind that exact server panel.”
“Then why…” I trailed off, my mind spinning. “Why did you hire me?”
Luca looked at me, a deep sadness in his dark eyes.
“Because when I found the blueprints, I also found a letter David wrote to me. He told me about you. He told me about Toby. He said if anything ever happened to him, he begged me to watch over his family.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“But I couldn’t just bring you into the estate,” Luca continued. “I knew there was a mole in my organization. I knew whoever killed David was still looking for the blueprints. If I brought you in as family, the mole would target you instantly.”
“So you brought me in as a maid,” I whispered.
“It was the only way to keep you close and protected without drawing attention,” Luca said. “I put a GPS tracker in the envelope and left it exactly where David hid it. I knew that one day, the mole would figure out this location and force you to take them to it.”
He looked down at Thomas.
“And it worked.”
Luca turned to his men. “Clean this up. Take Thomas and the woman to the warehouse. They have a lot of questions to answer.”
Two men grabbed Thomas by the arms and dragged his unconscious body away. Another pulled a sobbing Mrs. Gable out the door.
We were alone again.
Luca knelt down in front of Toby.
“Hey, little man,” Luca said gently.
Toby sniffled, wiping his nose with his sleeve. “Are the bad people gone?”
“Yeah,” Luca said. “They’re gone for good.”
Luca reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver pocket watch. His father’s watch.
He held it out to Toby.
“This belonged to your grandfather,” Luca said softly. “And then it belonged to your dad. And now, it belongs to you.”
Toby looked at the watch, his eyes wide. He reached out and took it with both small hands.
“It’s heavy,” Toby whispered.
“It is,” Luca smiled. “But you’re strong enough to carry it.”
He stood up and looked at me.
“You’re not a maid anymore, Rachel,” Luca said. “You’re a Moretti. You and Toby belong to this family. And no one will ever hurt you again.”
I looked at the man who ran a criminal empire, the man who had just saved my life, the man who was my son’s uncle.
May you like
For the first time since my husband died, I didn’t feel afraid.
“Let’s go home,” Luca said.
