Chapter 9 - The Serpent at the Table|
Copper snorted loudly, throwing his head up and backing away from the edge of the water.
Luca was on his feet in less than a second, his right hand instantly reaching beneath his leather jacket to grip his concealed weapon.
"Ava, get behind Rachel," Luca commanded, his voice turning into steel.
Ava didn't hesitate, running straight toward me as I pulled her behind my body.
From the thick curtain of trees on the opposite bank, three men stepped out into the clearing.
The man in the center was in his late fifties, dressed in a sharp gray trench coat with slicked-back silver hair.
It was Don Antonio Bellini, Vanessa’s father, flanked by two armed bodyguards carrying automatic rifles.
"A touching family picture, Luca," Antonio called out, his raspy voice echoing over the babbling creek.
"It’s almost a shame to interrupt such a sentimental afternoon."
Luca stepped forward, placing himself directly between the armed men and where we stood.
"You are trespassing on Moretti land, Antonio," Luca said, his voice terrifyingly calm.
"You know what the penalty is for stepping over my border without an invitation."
Antonio let out a harsh, dry chuckle that sounded like grinding stones.
"The Syndicate Council doesn't recognize your borders anymore, boy."
"You disgraced my daughter in front of thirty families and threw her onto the street like a common thief."
"Your daughter is a murderer," Luca replied without flinching.
"She conspired to kill Caroline, and she planted listening bugs inside my child's bedroom."
"Caroline was an obstacle to progress!" Antonio shouted, his face darkening with anger.
"She was trying to turn you into a legitimate businessman, taking away our most profitable distribution routes!"
"Vanessa was supposed to secure this territory for our combined families!"
Ava clutched the back of my jacket, trembling as she heard the man admit to her mother's murder.
I wrapped my arms tightly around the little girl, whispering quiet prayers into her hair.
"You have forty-eight hours to hand over the lakefront docks to the Bellini syndicate," Antonio warned, raising a gloved finger.
"If you refuse, we won't just take the docks, Luca."
"We will take everything you have left, starting with that noisy brat and her mangy horse."
Luca didn't pull his gun, but the look in his eyes promised an annihilation so absolute that even Antonio took an involuntary step back.
"You have made the last mistake of your pathetic life, Antonio," Luca whispered.
"I will not wait forty-eight hours."
"By sunrise tomorrow, the Bellini name will be nothing more than ashes scattered across Lake Michigan."
Antonio sneered, motioning for his men to retreat back into the shadows of the woods.
"We'll see who turns to ashes first, Moretti."
As the brush swallowed the intruders, Luca turned back to us, his eyes burning with absolute determination.
"We're going back to the compound," he ordered, pulling out his radio.
May you like
"Marco, initiate lockdown protocol immediately."
"The war has begun."
