Chapter 2 - THE SECOND RING

The rain beat against the stone roof of the mausoleum.

I stood frozen beside the empty casket, clutching my father’s silver pocket watch so tightly the metal cut into my palm.

“Daniel,” Luca said. His voice was completely calm. “Put the gun down.”

Daniel shook his head. He looked at Vanessa, who was trembling against the marble wall.

“You stupid girl,” Daniel spat at her. “I told you to throw the fake ring into the river. I told you bringing it to that old jeweler would leave a trail.”

“I wanted the gold,” Vanessa cried hysterically. “I didn’t know it was fake! I didn’t know what you did!”

“You knew enough,” Daniel sneered.

He looked back at Luca. “Your father was soft, Luca. He wanted to legitimize the syndicate. Go completely legal. There’s no money in legal. Bellini and I… we saw the future. So we took Michael out. Bellini went to prison on tax charges a year later, and I stayed here. Right by your side. Waiting for you to marry his daughter so we could finally merge the families and take over the city.”

Daniel raised the gun slightly, aiming at the center of Luca’s forehead.

“Hand over the key, Emma,” Daniel commanded.

I looked at the tiny brass key in my hand.

The key opens the locker at Union Station. But I kept the proof.

If Daniel got the key, he would destroy the evidence. He would kill Luca. He would kill me. And he would go to the rehab facility and finish the job on my father.

I looked at Luca.

Luca’s eyes were locked on mine. He gave a microscopic nod.

“Here,” I said, my voice shaking. I held out my hand, opening my palm.

Daniel took a step forward to grab the key.

The moment his eyes dropped to my hand, Luca moved.

He didn’t step away from the gun. He stepped into it.

Luca grabbed the barrel of the weapon with his bare hand, shoving it violently toward the ceiling just as Daniel pulled the trigger.

The gunshot deafened me. Dust rained down from the ceiling.

Luca drove his knee into Daniel’s stomach, dropping the security chief to the stone floor. The gun clattered into the dark corner.

“Run!” Luca shouted at me.

I didn’t hesitate. I sprinted out of the mausoleum into the pouring rain.

I heard footsteps splashing behind me. I thought it was Daniel, but when I turned my head, it was Vanessa.

She wasn’t running away. She was running toward me.

She tackled me into the wet grass, her manicured fingers clawing at my hands.

“Give me the key!” she screamed, her face twisted with desperation. “If Daniel doesn’t get it, he’ll kill me too!”

“Get off me!” I yelled, kicking wildly.

I managed to push her off, scrambling to my feet. I ran toward the cemetery gates.

A pair of headlights swept across the wet pavement. It was a city cab. I flagged it down, throwing myself into the back seat.

“Union Station,” I gasped to the driver. “Please. Fast.”

As the cab sped away, I looked out the back window. Luca was walking out of the mausoleum. He had Daniel by the collar of his shirt, dragging him through the mud.

Luca was alive.

Twenty minutes later, I stood inside the massive, echoing hall of Union Station. It was 2:00 AM, and the terminal was mostly empty, save for a few sleeping travelers.

I found the bank of old metal storage lockers near the south exit.

I looked at the brass key. It had the number 402 stamped into it.

I walked down the aisle until I found locker 402. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely fit the key into the lock.

It turned with a heavy click.

I opened the door.

Inside was a large, heavy leather duffel bag.

I pulled it out and unzipped the main compartment.

I expected to find documents. Financial records. A murder weapon.

Instead, the bag was filled with stacks of hundred-dollar bills. Millions of dollars.

And resting on top of the money was a heavy, wool coat.

A child’s coat. Navy blue. With small wooden toggle buttons.

I stared at it, my heart pounding in my throat.

I recognized this coat.

It belonged to my little brother, Leo.

He had died in a drowning accident twelve years ago, when he was only six. My father had never recovered from the loss. It was what ultimately led to his stroke.

Why was my dead brother’s coat inside a bag of blood money hidden in a train station?

Before I could reach in to touch it, a large hand clamped down on my shoulder.

I spun around, terrified.

It was Luca.

His face was bruised, his knuckles bleeding. He looked exhausted, but his eyes were completely focused.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice rough.

“You’re alive,” I breathed, a massive wave of relief washing over me. “What happened to Daniel?”

“He won’t be following us,” Luca said darkly.

He looked down into the open duffel bag. He saw the money.

Then, he saw the navy blue coat.

Luca went completely still. The color drained from his face.

“Where did you get that?” Luca whispered.