Chapter 7 - THE FERRY TICKET
The rain beat against the windshield like gravel as we drove toward the private banking facility in Manhattan.
We had forty minutes before the meeting at Pier 42.
“Sofia is unstable,” Dante said, gripping the steering wheel. “Carlo is ruthless, but he calculates. Sofia acts on emotion. She hates you, Emma. We have to be careful.”
We arrived at the underground vault facility. Dante flashed a heavy black card to the night manager, who immediately stepped aside.
We walked into the steel-lined vault room.
Row 8. Box 014.
Dante inserted the silver key. He turned it.
A heavy click echoed in the silent room.
He pulled the long metal drawer out and set it on the viewing table.
Inside the box was an old, dusty microcassette tape.
And a second envelope.
Dante picked up the tape. He slipped it into his jacket pocket.
I reached for the envelope. I opened it.
Inside was a single Ferry Ticket to Staten Island. Dated tonight. 1:00 AM.
And a handwritten note.
Arthur, if you’re reading this, I didn’t make it. Take Eleanor and the girls. Run. — Maria Russo.
Dante’s mother.
She had planned to escape with us thirty years ago, but Carlo caught her first.
“She died protecting us,” I whispered, tears blurring my vision.
Dante touched my shoulder gently. “She died fighting. And tonight, we finish the fight for her.”
He took my hand, his grip warm and protective. “We get Lily. We destroy Carlo. And then you are never putting on a maid’s uniform again.”
I looked up at him. The lines between boss and employee had completely vanished. We were family, bound by a shared tragedy.
“Let’s go,” I said.
We arrived at Pier 42 with ten minutes to spare.
The docks were desolate, lit only by flickering amber streetlamps. The smell of salt water and diesel fuel hung heavy in the air.
At the end of the pier stood Carlo Marchetti.
Sofia was beside him.
And sitting on a wooden crate, her hands tied in front of her, was Lily.
“Lily!” I shouted, stepping forward.
Two armed guards immediately raised their weapons at me.
Dante caught my arm, pulling me behind him.
“I have the tape, Carlo,” Dante called out over the sound of the rain.
He held up the small plastic cassette.
Carlo smiled. “Bring it here, Dante. Just you.”
Dante walked forward slowly. He kept himself between the guns and me.
“Give me the girl first,” Dante said.
Carlo nodded to Sofia.
Sofia grabbed Lily by the arm and pulled her up. She shoved the little girl forward.
Lily ran to me. I caught her, immediately working to untie the ropes around her small wrists.
“I want the tape, Dante,” Carlo said, holding out his hand.
Dante tossed the cassette.
Carlo caught it. He laughed, a deep, victorious sound. He dropped the tape onto the wet concrete and crushed it beneath the heel of his expensive shoe.
The plastic splintered. The magnetic tape tangled into the puddles.
“Thirty years of paranoia,” Carlo sighed. “Finally over.”
He looked at Dante.
“You should have married my daughter, Dante. We could have ruled the city.”
Carlo raised his hand. His guards cocked their weapons.
“Kill them,” Carlo ordered.
But Sofia suddenly stepped in front of her father’s guards.
May you like
And she pulled a gun from her own designer coat.
She pointed it directly at Carlo.
