Chapter 9 - THE SUNRISE ON THE LAKE
Six months later.
The morning sun caught the edges of Lake Michigan, turning the water into a sheet of crushed diamonds.
I stood on the terrace of the Moretti estate, holding a cup of coffee.
I wasn't wearing a black uniform. I was wearing a tailored navy blazer and a silk blouse.
I was the Estate Manager now.
My father was sitting in a comfortable armchair in the sunroom behind me. His speech had improved dramatically. Luca had hired the best physical therapists in Chicago, fully paid.
Dignity restored.
Frank Marino was living in a guest cottage on the property. He spent his days in the garden, arguing with the landscapers about tomato plants.
Leo was enrolled at Northwestern University. Luca paid his tuition, treating him not as an employee’s son, but as family. The boy visited Frank every weekend.
Vanessa had kept her word. Enzo Bellini was indicted on multiple federal charges, including the murder of his wife. He died of liver failure in a prison hospital before his trial concluded.
The Bellini empire was dismantled.
The engagement was a distant memory.
“You’re up early.”
I turned.
Luca was standing in the doorway, wearing a casual sweater and jeans. He looked rested. Happy.
“Just watching the sunrise,” I said, smiling as he walked over to join me at the stone railing.
He stood close. Close enough that I could smell the clean cedar scent of his soap.
“Leo passed his midterms,” Luca said, leaning against the rail. “Frank is over the moon.”
“He deserves to be.”
Luca looked at me. His dark eyes were soft, completely stripped of the cold mafia boss exterior he used to wear like armor.
“I have something for you,” he said.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, flat jewelry box.
My breath hitched.
“Luca, you’ve done too much for me already.”
“Open it, Emma.”
I took the box and lifted the lid.
Inside wasn't a ring. It was a beautiful, delicate gold necklace.
Hanging from the chain was a small, engraved sunburst.
“My mother had one just like this,” I whispered, touching the cool gold. “She lost it when I was a little girl.”
Luca’s expression shifted.
“She didn't lose it, Emma.”
Answer one. Open two.
I looked up at him, confused.
“What do you mean?”
Luca took the necklace from the box and gently clasped it around my neck.
“I bought an old storage unit that belonged to my father last week,” Luca said, his voice dropping. “There was a box of his personal effects inside.”
He stepped back, looking at the necklace resting against my collarbone.
“That necklace was in the box, Emma. With your mother’s name on the back.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“Why would your father have my mother’s necklace?”
Luca pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket.
“Because of what was wrapped around it.”
He handed me the paper.
It was an old police report. Dated twenty-five years ago.
The arresting officer listed on the report was my father.
And the informant he was protecting… was Michael Moretti.
Reversal.
“My father,” I said, my voice shaking. “He wasn't just a beat cop.”
“No,” Luca said softly. “He was Michael’s handler. And your mother… she was the one passing the information.”
But that wasn't the cliffhanger.
The cliffhanger was the handwriting scribbled in red ink across the bottom of the police report.
May you like
The captain knows. They’re coming for the girl. Hide her.
TITLE: THE GHOSTS OF THE PRECINCT
