Chapter 2 - THE SECOND RING

The sterile, bright lights of the rehabilitation hospital were a jarring contrast to the violent darkness of the airstrip.

It was 6:00 AM. The nurses at the front desk looked up in alarm as Luca, Julian, and I walked through the double doors. We were covered in soot, mud, and rain, looking like we had just walked out of a warzone.

“Ms. Reed?” the head nurse asked, standing up. “Is everything alright?”

“We need to see my father,” I said, not slowing down. “Right now.”

“He’s awake,” she said, hurrying to keep up. “But he’s been extremely agitated all night.”

I pushed open the door to Room 412.

My father was sitting up in his hospital bed. His face was pale, and his breathing was shallow. When the door opened, his eyes darted toward us in sheer panic.

Then, his gaze landed on the tall teenager standing behind me.

My father froze. His trembling hand reached out, hovering in the air.

Julian stepped past me, walking slowly to the side of the bed.

“Hi, Dad,” Julian whispered, tears filling his eyes.

My father let out a broken, guttural sob. The stroke had stolen his ability to form complex sentences, but the raw, devastating love in his eyes spoke volumes. He reached out and pulled Julian down into a desperate embrace, burying his face in the boy’s hoodie.

I stood in the doorway, crying silently.

Luca stood beside me. He watched the man who had hidden his son for three years, and the man who had been forced to give him up.

There was no anger in Luca’s eyes. Only profound gratitude.

When my father finally released Julian, he looked up at Luca.

My dad pointed to himself, then to Julian, and tapped his chest over his heart. I’m sorry.

Luca stepped forward. The feared mafia boss bowed his head respectfully to the frail metalworker.

“You saved my son’s life, Thomas,” Luca said, his voice thick with emotion. “You hid the evidence. You left the clues that brought him back to me. You have nothing to apologize for.”

My father closed his eyes, a massive weight physically lifting off his shoulders.

I walked over and took my dad’s hand. “It’s over, Dad. Daniel is dead. Vanessa is going to federal prison. The syndicate knows the truth.”

My father’s eyes snapped open. He looked at me, then frantically shook his head.

He pointed at the silver pocket watch sitting on the bedside table—the one I had recovered from Daniel at the airstrip.

He tapped the glass face. Then he tapped his own head, shaking it violently.

“Dad, what is it?” I asked, confused.

He grabbed a notepad and a thick marker from his tray. His hand shook badly, but he managed to scrawl three large letters.

N O T V A N E S S A

Luca frowned, stepping closer. “What does he mean? Not Vanessa? She was the one holding Julian.”

My dad shook his head again. He wrote one more word.

U N C L E

The room went dead silent.

Luca stared at the notepad. The color completely drained from his face.

“My uncle,” Luca whispered. “Vincenzo.”

“Who is Vincenzo?” I asked, looking between them.

“My father’s brother,” Luca said, his voice turning ice cold. “He’s the head of the New York commission. He stepped down from Chicago twelve years ago to let my father rule.”

Luca looked at my dad. “Vincenzo ordered the hit? Not Daniel? Not Vanessa’s father?”

My dad nodded once, firmly.

“Daniel and Vanessa were just pawns,” Luca realized, the terrifying scope of the betrayal finally clicking into place. “Vincenzo wanted control of both cities. He used Daniel to kill my father. He used Vanessa to hold Julian hostage. And when Vanessa married me, Vincenzo would have controlled the trust fund through her.”

Luca’s phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket.

He pulled it out. The caller ID read: VINCENZO MORETTI.

Luca looked at the phone, then at me.

“He knows Daniel is dead,” Luca said softly. “He’s making his final move.”

Luca answered the phone, putting it on speaker.

“Uncle,” Luca said, his voice perfectly smooth.

“Luca, my boy,” the older man’s voice rasped through the speaker. “I heard there was a tragedy at the airstrip tonight. Poor Daniel. And Vanessa… what a shame.”

“It’s been a long night,” Luca replied.

“The commission is gathering at the estate in two hours,” Vincenzo said. “We must discuss the future of the family now that your fiancée is… indisposed. And I hear a certain lost boy has been found.”

The threat was thinly veiled. If Luca didn’t show up, Vincenzo would send an army to the hospital.

“I’ll be there,” Luca said.

He hung up the phone.

He looked at Julian. Then he looked at me.

“Stay here. The guards will protect the door.”

“No,” I said firmly, standing up. “I’m going with you.”