Chapter 5 - THE BLOOD ON THE MARBLE
Luca stared at the gold money clip, the realization crashing over him.
His uncle Carmine. The man who had taught him how to ride a bike. The man who had stood beside him at Caroline's funeral, weeping into a handkerchief.
"He paid you," Luca said to Vanessa, his voice hollow. "Carmine planted you."
Vanessa was sitting on the floor, pressing a silk handkerchief to her bleeding forehead. She looked up at him with a vicious, triumphant smile.
"You're soft, Luca," she spat. "You wanted to take the family business legitimate. You wanted to close the ports and stop the smuggling. Carmine knew you were ruining the empire. He just needed a way to fund the coup."
"Caroline's trust fund," I realized aloud.
"Exactly," Vanessa sneered. "Fifty million clean dollars to buy off the capos."
Luca didn't yell. He didn't strike her. He just looked at her with utter disgust.
"Where is he?" Luca demanded.
"He's already here," a gruff voice echoed from the hallway.
We all froze.
Standing in the doorway of the bedroom was Uncle Carmine. He was sixty-five, wearing a sharp gray suit, holding a suppressed pistol. Behind him stood two massive enforcers.
"Hello, Luca," Carmine said smoothly. "I see the engagement is off."
Luca stepped perfectly in front of Amelia, shielding her entirely from his uncle's view.
"Carmine," Luca said, his tone chillingly even. "You killed my wife."
"I made a business decision," Carmine corrected, stepping into the room. "Caroline was in your ear. She was turning you into a civilian. I couldn't let a woman destroy what our ancestors built."
Carmine aimed his gun at Luca's chest.
"It's over, nephew. Give me the girl. I need her thumbprint for the transfer. Then I'll make this quick for both of you."
"You're not touching my daughter," Luca said.
"I have thirty men surrounding this estate," Carmine sighed. "Your security team? They work for me now. The guests in the ballroom are currently being held at gunpoint. You have no moves left."
Reversal. Luca wasn't the most powerful man in the room anymore. He had been entirely outmaneuvered.
Carmine gestured to his enforcers. "Grab the kid. Shoot the maid."
One of the massive men stepped toward me.
I still had Vanessa's silver revolver in my hands. I had never fired a gun. I had never even held one before tonight.
But I looked at Amelia, trembling behind her father.
I didn't think. I just pulled the trigger.
The gunshot was deafening in the small bedroom.
The enforcer stumbled backward, clutching his shoulder, blood instantly soaking his suit.
"Bitch!" Carmine roared, turning his weapon toward me.
But the distraction was exactly what Luca needed.
Luca moved with terrifying speed. He lunged forward, grabbing the second enforcer by the throat and driving him backward into Carmine. The three men crashed into the hallway.
"Run!" Luca shouted to me. "To the panic room! Now!"
I dropped the empty gun, grabbed Amelia's hand, and sprinted.
We tore down the back servant staircase, the sound of a brutal fistfight echoing above us. Amelia was crying, but she didn't slow down. She ran as fast as her bare feet could carry her.
We reached the basement. The panic room was hidden behind a false wine rack. I pulled the lever, and the heavy steel door slid open.
I pushed Amelia inside.
"Sophie, where's Daddy?" she sobbed, clinging to my apron.
"He's coming," I lied, praying it was true.
I stood in the doorway, staring down the dark basement hallway. If I closed the door, Luca wouldn't be able to get in. If I left it open, Carmine's men would find us.
Footsteps pounded down the stairs. Heavy. Fast.
I raised a heavy wine bottle, ready to swing.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
It was Luca.
He was limping, his white shirt torn and stained with blood, but he was alive. He collapsed into the panic room, and I slammed the button.
The steel door hissed shut, locking with a heavy, magnetic thud just as bullets pinged against the outside metal.
We were safe. Temporarily.
The panic room was small, lit by emergency red lights. It was stocked with water, medical supplies, and a secure phone line.
Luca slid down the wall, clutching his side.
Amelia threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "Daddy, you're bleeding."
"I'm okay, baby," Luca winced, kissing her hair. "I'm right here."
I quickly grabbed the first aid kit and knelt beside him. He had a deep laceration along his ribs—a knife wound.
As I pressed a bandage against it, Luca looked at me.
"You shot a man for my daughter," Luca said quietly, his dark eyes searching my face.
"I couldn't let them take her," I whispered, my hands trembling as the adrenaline crashed.
Luca reached into his pocket and pulled out the secure phone.
"We need to call the police," I said.
"The police on my payroll just betrayed me," Luca replied grimly. "I have to call the one person Carmine fears."
He dialed a number.
The line picked up.
"It's Luca," he said into the receiver. "Carmine made his move. I need extraction."
He listened for a moment, then his face went completely pale.
He slowly lowered the phone.
"What?" I asked, panic rising in my throat. "Who did you call?"
May you like
Luca looked at the phone, then at me.
"I called the FBI," Luca whispered. "But Carmine answered."
