Chapter 5 - THE CHILD'S DRAWING
The heat blasting from the SUV’s vents couldn't touch the sudden, freezing tension in the car.
Luca stared at the crumpled drawing, his thumb tracing the jagged blue lines of the Morano crest.
The coiled snake. The dagger.
He slowly lowered the paper and looked at Lucy.
She was huddled inside his oversized coat, looking small, fragile, and utterly terrified. But beneath the fear, he saw something else. A fierce, protective desperation that he immediately recognized.
"Your son drew the Morano crest," Luca said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register. "A five-year-old boy doesn't randomly invent a cartel symbol, Lucy. Where did he see it?"
Lucy swallowed hard, pulling the coat tighter. "He didn't see it. He wears it."
Luca’s brow furrowed.
"On a necklace," she clarified, her voice shaking. "A small silver chain. He’s had it since he was a baby."
Reversal.
The silver locket Daniel found in the hallway didn't belong to Lucy. It belonged to her son.
"Where did you get a Morano locket?" Luca asked, the pieces of a terrifying puzzle beginning to shift.
"I didn't get it," she cried softly. "His father gave it to him."
The words hit Luca like a physical blow.
He stared at the girl he had hired nine months ago. He had run a background check on her. Quiet. Hardworking. No criminal record. Just a single mother trying to make rent.
"Who is his father, Lucy?" Luca asked, though he already felt the answer settling like lead in his stomach.
Lucy closed her eyes. "Julian."
Luca stopped breathing.
Julian Morano. The youngest son of the Morano family. The ruthless, volatile heir apparent who had been killed in a drive-by shooting six years ago.
"You were with Julian Morano?" Luca asked, his voice completely devoid of emotion.
Lucy nodded, tears spilling over. "I was nineteen. I was waiting tables at a diner on the South Side. I didn't know who he was, Luca. I swear to God. He just told me he was in construction. He was charming. He took care of me."
She wiped her face with a trembling hand.
"When I got pregnant, he was furious. He told me I had to get rid of the baby. He said his family would never accept a waitress. When I refused, he hit me."
Luca’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle jumped.
"I ran away," Lucy whispered. "I changed my name. I hid. Three months later, Julian was killed."
"But he found you before he died," Luca deduced, looking at the drawing. "He gave the boy the locket."
"No," Lucy shook her head. "Julian never saw Leo. The locket arrived in the mail a week after Julian was murdered. There was a note. It said, 'The bloodline survives.'"
Luca felt a cold chill run down his spine.
The Moranos didn't know about Leo. Julian had kept the child a secret to protect his own standing in the family. But someone else knew. Someone had sent that locket to tie the boy to the cartel forever.
"Clara saw the drawing in your locker," Luca said, putting the pieces together. "She recognized the crest. She realized you were tied to her bosses."
"She asked me who drew it," Lucy sobbed. "When I wouldn't tell her, she dragged me out of the medical wing. She said if the Moranos found out Julian had an heir, they would tear the city apart looking for him."
Because Julian was the last male heir.
The Morano boss, Vincenzo, was dying. He had no other sons.
If Vincenzo found out he had a grandson, he would burn Chicago to the ground to claim him.
And right now, that grandson was sitting in a cheap apartment somewhere in the city.
"Where is Leo?" Luca demanded, grabbing his phone.
"He’s at my mother’s house," Lucy panicked. "Luca, please. If Clara tells them—"
"Clara isn't telling anyone anything," Luca said firmly. He hit a button on his radio. "Daniel. Clean up the shipyard. Bring Clara and her 'father' to the holding cells in the basement. They do not see the light of day until I say so."
"Copy that, Boss," Daniel replied instantly.
Luca put the SUV in drive. "Give me your mother’s address."
Lucy gave it to him, her hands shaking violently.
Luca sped through the empty, rain-slicked streets. He didn't say a word, his mind calculating the massive political fallout of what he had just discovered.
He was sheltering the secret heir to his greatest rival’s empire.
If anyone found out, it meant war.
They arrived at a small, rundown bungalow in a quiet suburban neighborhood. The porch light was off. The street was dead silent.
Lucy threw the door open before the SUV even stopped, ignoring the searing pain in her leg. She limped heavily up the concrete steps, fumbling with her keys.
Luca was right behind her, his hand resting on the grip of his weapon.
She unlocked the door and burst inside.
"Mom! Leo!"
The living room was dark. The television was on, casting a blue glow over a worn floral sofa.
Sitting on the sofa was Lucy’s mother.
She was fast asleep, a half-knitted blanket resting on her lap.
Lucy let out a massive sigh of relief, leaning against the doorframe. She limped toward the small hallway leading to the bedrooms.
"Leo?" she called softly, opening the door to the small guest room.
Luca stood in the living room, his eyes scanning the space. Everything looked normal. A quiet, peaceful home.
Then, he noticed the back door in the kitchen.
It was standing wide open, the rain blowing in over the linoleum floor.
"Lucy," Luca said sharply.
Lucy froze in the hallway. She pushed the bedroom door open the rest of the way.
The small bed, covered in superhero sheets, was empty.
And sitting perfectly in the center of the pillow was a silver locket.
The Morano crest gleaming in the dim light.
"No," Lucy screamed, dropping to her knees. "No! Leo!"
Luca ran to the kitchen, his gun drawn. He stared out the open door into the dark, rainy alleyway.
May you like
They were gone.
The Moranos had found the boy.
