Chapter 10 - THE TICKET ON THE PILLOW
The air in my small bedroom suddenly felt freezing.
I stared at the plane ticket to Italy in my trembling hands.
The Russians know what you did. Don't tell Luca. Just run.
I sank onto the edge of my narrow bed. My mind raced back to the master bedroom the night before. I had thrown a chef’s knife at the Russian enforcer to save Luca.
Vanessa had sold Matteo’s debt to the Russian syndicate. They were expecting to take over the Chicago territory. When Luca dismantled them, he humiliated their leadership. And I was the one who had stopped them from pulling the trigger.
The Russian mob didn’t forgive humiliation.
“Claire?”
A soft knock on the open door made me jump.
Isabella stood in the doorway. She looked healthier today, wearing a simple pair of jeans and a sweater, but her dark eyes were filled with profound sorrow.
She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.
“You found it,” Isabella whispered, looking at the ticket in my hand.
“Isabella, what is this?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Luca said it was over. He said he handled the Russians.”
“He handled the local crew,” Isabella corrected softly, sitting beside me on the bed. “But the boss in New York... he put a bounty on your head this morning. One million dollars to whoever brings him the girl who threw the knife.”
My breath caught in my throat. “A bounty?”
Isabella nodded, tears filling her eyes. “I still have contacts in the underworld. They called me an hour ago. The hitmen are already on their way to Chicago.”
“I have to tell Luca,” I said, standing up frantically.
Isabella grabbed my wrist. Her grip was iron-tight.
“If you tell Luca, he will go to war for you,” Isabella pleaded. “He will pull his men back into the streets. He will abandon his plan to go legitimate. Blood will run in Chicago again, Claire. And Mia will be caught in the crossfire.”
I froze.
If Luca fought the Russians, he would become the monster he was trying so hard to leave behind. He would lose his soul.
“I bought you that ticket,” Isabella said gently, taking the paper from my trembling hand and folding it into my palm. “The flight leaves in three hours. I have a safe house in Tuscany. Nobody knows about it. You can disappear. You can be safe.”
“I can’t leave him,” I sobbed, the heartbreak tearing through my chest. “I just promised to marry him.”
“If you love him, you have to leave him,” Isabella whispered. “It’s the only way to keep him and Mia safe.”
She squeezed my hand and walked out of the room, leaving me alone with the impossible choice.
I looked at the beautiful diamond ring on my left hand. The promise of a future I had desperately wanted.
I took it off.
I placed the ring gently on the small wooden desk in my room.
I packed a single duffel bag with a few clothes. I didn’t take the expensive dresses Luca had bought me. I just took what I came with.
I walked quietly down the hallway to Mia’s bedroom.
She was sitting on the floor, coloring a picture of a house.
“Hey, sweetie,” I said softly, my voice thick with unshed tears.
Mia looked up and smiled. “Look, Claire! I drew our new house. With you, and Daddy, and me.”
I dropped to my knees and pulled her into a tight, desperate hug. I breathed in the scent of her strawberry shampoo, committing the feeling of her small arms to memory.
“It’s beautiful, baby,” I whispered into her hair. “I love you so much, Mia. Never forget that.”
“I love you too,” she giggled, squirming out of the hug to show me the drawing again.
I stood up, wiping my eyes before she could see the tears, and slipped out the back door of the estate.
I took a cab to O’Hare International Airport.
I felt completely numb.
I walked through security, my head down, clutching the boarding pass Isabella had given me.
When I reached the international terminal, I found a seat near the back of the gate.
Boarding for Flight 402 to Rome will begin in twenty minutes.
I stared at the departure screen. Every fiber of my being screamed to turn around and run back to the man I loved. But I knew if I went back, I would bring a war to his doorstep.
“You know, usually when a woman leaves her fiancé on the first day, she at least leaves a note.”
I gasped, my head snapping up.
Standing in front of me, wearing a sharp black suit and a terrifyingly calm expression, was Luca.
Daniel and four massive security guards stood behind him, creating a wall between us and the rest of the passengers.
“Luca,” I breathed, standing up. “How did you find me?”
“You think I don’t track every vehicle that leaves my estate?” Luca said. He wasn’t angry. He just looked heartbroken.
He stepped closer to me.
“Why are you running, Claire?”
“I have to,” I cried, the tears finally falling. “Isabella told me about the bounty. The Russians are coming for me. If I stay, they’ll start a war. They’ll hurt you. They’ll hurt Mia.”
Luca stared at me.
Then, he did something I completely didn’t expect.
He smiled.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, heavy silver coin.
He tossed it onto the empty seat next to me.
It was a Russian syndicate marker.
“The Russians aren’t coming for you, Claire,” Luca said softly. “Because an hour ago, I had a video call with their boss in New York.”
I looked at him in shock. “You spoke to them?”
“I did,” Luca nodded. “I told them that if a single hair on your head was touched, I would burn their entire East Coast operation to the ground. And then I offered them Vanessa’s offshore accounts in exchange for peace.”
My jaw dropped. “You gave them the money?”
“It was dirty money anyway,” Luca shrugged casually. “I bought your bounty, Claire. The hit is canceled. We have peace.”
He reached out and gently cupped my face.
“You don’t have to run anymore. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself for us.”
He pulled the diamond engagement ring from his pocket—the one I had left on the desk—and slid it back onto my finger.
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“Now, are you going to get on that plane to Italy?” Luca asked, his dark eyes filled with endless love. “Or are you coming home to me and our daughter?”
TITLE: The Necklace In The Nursery
