Chapter 4 - THE GHOST IN THE BASEMENT
Luca couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak.
The most feared man in Chicago fell to his knees on the wet concrete, staring at the little boy holding his mother’s pearls.
“Leo?” Luca choked out, his voice shattering in the cold air.
The boy flinched, stepping backward toward the open basement door. “How do you know my name? The bad men call me Number Four.”
Tears streamed down Luca’s face. He slowly reached out his hand, making sure not to make any sudden movements.
“I’m your Uncle Luca,” he whispered. “Your mother was my sister. I’ve been looking for you for six years.”
Leo stared at the giant, crying man. Then he looked at the pearl bracelet in his hands.
“Grandma said you would come,” Leo murmured. “She told me to hold this until you found me.”
Luca let out a broken sob, pulling the fragile child into his chest. Leo buried his face in Luca’s expensive coat, his small fingers gripping the fabric as if his life depended on it.
I wiped my own tears away and turned to Anthony. The elderly gardener was struggling to breathe.
“Anthony, why didn’t you tell us?” I asked, pressing my scarf against a deep cut on his forehead. “You knew he was here?”
“I found out… two weeks ago,” Anthony gasped. “When I went to clear the brush around this property. I saw him in the window. I went to Mrs. Moretti’s lawyer, but Carlo found out. He threatened to kill my wife in the hospital if I spoke a word.”
“Why did you come tonight?” Luca asked, pulling away from Leo just enough to look at the old man.
“Because Vanessa called Carlo after you threw her out,” Anthony wheezed. “She told him you knew about the forgery. Carlo panicked. He ordered his men to move the boy tonight. I came to stop them.”
My blood ran cold. “If Carlo’s men were here, where are they now?”
A sharp click echoed through the dark woods.
“Right behind you.”
I spun around.
Standing at the edge of the patio, illuminated by the faint basement light, was Carlo Bellini.
He was a tall, silver-haired man wearing a tailored suit, completely unbothered by the rain. In his right hand, he held a suppressed pistol aimed directly at Luca’s head.
Behind him stood three massive men in tactical gear.
“Hello, Luca,” Carlo smiled smoothly. “I see you found the family secret.”
Luca slowly stood up, placing himself directly between Carlo and the little boy. He didn't reach for his gun on the ground. He knew he wouldn't make it in time.
“You murdered my sister,” Luca growled, his voice vibrating with pure, lethal rage.
“Your sister was reckless,” Carlo corrected, stepping closer. “She was going to pull her shares out of the syndicate. She was going to ruin my investments. The crash was unfortunate, but securing the boy was a necessary insurance policy.”
“And my mother?” Luca asked, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles bled.
“Maria figured it out,” Carlo sighed, adjusting his expensive watch. “She found the boy a few weeks before she passed. She was going to expose me. But sadly, her heart medication was tragically misplaced. The grief, you know. It takes a toll.”
I gasped in horror. He hadn't just kidnapped a child. He had murdered the Moretti matriarch.
“You’re a dead man, Carlo,” Luca promised softly.
“Actually, you are,” Carlo smiled. “You and the lovely housemaid. A tragic murder-suicide triggered by the stress of a broken engagement. And little Leo here will simply disappear forever.”
He raised the gun, aiming it at my chest.
“Kill the girl first,” Carlo ordered his men.
I closed my eyes, terrified, waiting for the gunshot.
But the gunshot didn't come from Carlo’s men.
It came from the darkness behind them.
One of Carlo’s tactical guards dropped to the grass, instantly unconscious.
Carlo spun around in shock.
Stepping out from the shadows of the ivy-covered gate was a figure I never expected to see.
Vanessa.
She was wearing a soaked designer trench coat, holding a heavy silver revolver with both hands. Her makeup was running down her face, and her eyes were wild with desperation.
“Put the gun down, Father,” Vanessa screamed over the rain.
Carlo stared at his daughter in absolute disbelief.
“Vanessa? What are you doing here? Have you lost your mind?”
“I said put it down!” she shrieked, cocking the hammer of the revolver.
I looked at Luca in shock. Why was she saving us?
“You lied to me!” Vanessa cried, pointing the gun at her father's chest. “You told me Leo died in the crash! You told me the trust money was rightfully ours! You made me forge Maria’s signature because you said she promised it to us!”
Carlo sneered, dropping his elegant facade. “You stupid girl. You were nothing but a pretty face to keep Luca distracted while I emptied his accounts.”
Vanessa’s hands shook violently. She looked at Luca, tears streaming down her face.
“I didn't know about the boy, Luca,” she sobbed. “I swear to God, I didn't know he kept him in a basement.”
“Shoot her!” Carlo barked at his remaining men.
But as the men raised their weapons toward Vanessa, Luca didn't hesitate.
May you like
He dove for his dropped gun on the wet concrete.
TITLE: THE BULLET IN THE RAIN
