Chapter 7 - The Trap Unfolds
The night before the wedding, the Moretti estate was quiet.
Marcus arrived at midnight, meeting Isabella in the glass conservatory at the back of the house.
They believed I was asleep in the master suite on the third floor.
What they didn't know was that Mateo had installed hidden micro-microphones inside the conservatory three hours earlier. I sat in my darkened study, wearing headphones, listening to every word of their betrayal.
"The ship arrives at Pier 42 at 3:00 a.m.," Marcus’s rough voice echoed through the earpiece. "Five hundred automatic rifles and two tons of unregistered cargo. Once Dominic signs the transfer papers tomorrow morning at the altar, we drop him."
"Make it look like a stroke," Isabella replied coldly. "The blind boss, overwhelmed by the stress of his wedding day. Tragic."
"And Elena?" Marcus asked. "My men spotted her near the Bronx apartment yesterday."
"Kill her," Isabella said without a shred of hesitation. "Take the kid and drop them both in the river. I won't have that ghost ruining my crown."
I took off the headphones.
My hands were steady. My heart was calm.
I picked up my phone and dialed Dr. Chen. "Henry. Is Elena and Lily secure inside the safehouse?"
"Yes, Dominic. Mateo’s top four tactical operatives are stationed inside."
"Good," I said, rising from my desk. "Tell Mateo to mobilize the old loyalists. The men who served my father. We go to Pier 42 at 2:00 a.m."
I walked over to the mirror hanging on the study wall.
I took off my dark sunglasses.
In the glass, I saw the reflection of a man who had spent four years living in a nightmare of someone else's making.
I opened the bottom drawer of my desk, pulling out my black Kimber pistol—the weapon I hadn't carried since the night I lost my sight.
May you like
I checked the magazine, chambered a round, and tucked it into my shoulder holster.
"The darkness is over," I whispered to my reflection.
