Chapter 6 - Bloodlines and Broken Vows
At 11:00 AM, a convoy of four black Escalades pulled up to the Evanston safehouse.
Luca emerged from his private study wearing a bespoke charcoal suit, a dark silk tie, and his heavy gold signet ring. The vulnerable father from the kitchen had vanished, replaced entirely by the ruthless Don of the Moretti syndicate.
“Claire,” Luca called as he checked the magazine of his sidearm.
I stepped into the grand foyer. “Yes, Mr. Moretti?”
“Daniel and ten of our best men are staying here. The gates are locked on biometric override. No one enters or leaves until I return.”
I looked at him, unable to hide the worry in my chest. “Is it going to be dangerous?”
Luca looked at me, his gaze lingering on my face. “The Bellinis think they still have leverage. They don’t know Elena is alive, and they don’t know we have the Zurich files. By 1:00 PM, it will all be over.”
He reached into his pocket and handed me a small emergency transponder. “If anything sounds wrong—if the perimeter sensors trip—press this button. A private helicopter will extract you and Lily from the rear cliff within three minutes.”
“I understand,” I said, clutching the small device. “Please... be careful, Luca.”
It was the first time I had called him by his first name.
Luca froze for a heartbeat. His eyes softened, and he gave me a slow, resolute nod. “Take care of our girl.”
Our girl.
The words echoed in my mind long after the heavy oak doors shut and the convoy sped away down the winding forest road.
Upstairs in the playroom, Lily and I sat on the floor building a puzzle of the Chicago skyline. But the air was heavy with tension. Elena Vance sat on the balcony just outside the playroom, a sniper rifle resting across her lap despite her bandaged shoulder.
“He’s going to dismantle them,” Elena said quietly through the open glass door, her voice flat. “The Morettis don't show mercy to traitors.”
“Does Lily know what her father does?” I asked, keeping my voice low so Lily wouldn’t hear.
“She knows her father is powerful,” Elena replied. “She knows he protects her. That’s all a ten-year-old needs to know.”
Suddenly, Elena’s radio crackled with static. A frantic voice came through Daniel’s security frequency:
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“Base! This is Gate Two! We have a breach! Two delivery vans just rammed the north barrier! They’re wearing tactical gear—they’re Bellini loyalists!”
Gunfire erupted in the distance, echoing off the stone walls of the estate.
