Chapter 6 - [THE GHOST'S REVENGE]
Answer one: Richard kept Marco’s silver pocket watch as a sick trophy from the night he murdered him. Sofia knew it, because she had watched him take it.
Open two: How could Luca shoot Richard without the lighter dropping and igniting the solvent?
“You kept my brother’s watch,” Luca said, his voice dropping an octave. The coldness in his tone made the damp basement air feel freezing.
Richard tightened his grip on the silver lighter. His thumb hovered over the spark wheel. “It’s a nice piece. A shame Marco didn't live long enough to appreciate it.”
“Don't do it, Luca!” Vanessa screamed from behind us, limping into the clearing. “Dad, put it down! They have the journal!”
Richard looked at his daughter, momentarily distracted.
It was a split-second window.
Luca didn't aim for Richard’s head. He aimed for the heavy, iron stage-weight suspended by a thick rope directly above Richard.
Thwip.
The suppressed gunshot cut the rope cleanly.
The fifty-pound iron weight plummeted. It smashed into Richard’s shoulder with a sickening crunch.
Richard screamed, collapsing backward. The lighter flew from his hand, clattering safely onto a dry patch of concrete, unlit.
I rushed forward, dropping to my knees. I tore the ropes off my mother’s wrists. She fell into my arms, sobbing. “Emily, oh my god, Emily.”
“I’ve got you, Mom. You’re safe,” I cried, holding her tight.
Luca walked slowly over to Sofia. He untied her ropes, his hands trembling slightly.
Sofia stood up, rubbing her wrists. She looked at Luca, tears spilling down her dirty cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I wanted to come back. But he threatened to kill Mateo if I ever showed my face in Chicago again.”
Luca pulled her into a fierce embrace. “You protected my brother’s son. You did exactly what you had to do.”
He turned back to Richard, who was writhing on the floor, clutching his shattered shoulder. Luca knelt down and yanked the silver pocket watch from Richard’s pocket.
“This belongs to the Moretti family,” Luca said.
Before Richard could speak, a dozen heavily armed men poured into the basement. They were Luca’s loyal guards, the ones who had intercepted the tracker signal from my necklace.
“Secure them,” Luca ordered, pointing at Richard, Vanessa, and Arthur. “Take them to the warehouse. We’ll wait for the Commission to deal with them.”
The threat was over.
We escorted my mother and Sofia back to the safety of the Moretti estate. When we arrived, Mateo came running down the stairs, throwing himself into Sofia’s arms.
Seeing the boy reunited with his mother made my chest ache with relief. My mother was settled into a guest suite, finally resting comfortably under the care of a private doctor Luca had called.
I went to the kitchen to make tea. The grand house was quiet again, the chaos of the night finally settling.
I stood by the marble counter, staring at the green silk gown I was still wearing. It felt like a lifetime had passed since the dinner party a few hours ago.
Footsteps sounded behind me.
Luca walked in. He had taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He looked exhausted, but the heavy burden he had carried for twelve years seemed to have vanished from his shoulders.
“How is she?” Luca asked softly.
“Sleeping,” I smiled. “Thank you, Luca. You saved us.”
He stepped closer. “You saved yourself, Emily. You stood up to men who terrified people twice your size. You brought my family back to me.”
He reached out and gently touched the diamond necklace still resting on my collarbone. His fingers brushed against my skin, sending a warm shiver down my spine.
“I want you to stay,” Luca murmured, his dark eyes locking onto mine. “Not as a maid. Never again as a maid. Stay here. Let me take care of you and your mother.”
My breath hitched. The proximity, the intensity in his gaze—it was intoxicating.
“Luca…” I started.
But before I could answer, the kitchen phone rang. It was the secure internal line.
Luca frowned and answered it on speaker.
“Boss,” one of the guards said, panic evident in his voice. “We were transporting Richard and Vanessa to the warehouse. But we were hit.”
Luca’s posture stiffened. “Hit by who?”
“Professionals, sir. They took out the tires. But they didn't take Richard. They left him on the side of the road with two bullets in his chest.”
Luca grabbed the counter. “Is he dead?”
“Yes, sir. But that’s not all.”
“What?”
“They took Vanessa. And they left this pinned to Richard’s coat.”
A moment later, a photo message pinged on Luca’s phone.
He opened it. I looked over his arm.
It was a playing card. The Queen of Spades. Smeared in fresh blood.
But written across the card in black ink was a single word.
Vendetta.
Luca dropped the phone, his face draining of color.
“What is it?” I asked, terrified all over again.
May you like
“It’s not over,” Luca whispered. “The Bellinis weren't working alone. They were backed by the Cartel.”
TITLE: THE QUEEN OF SPADES
