Chapter 6 - Unspooling the Past
Over the next three days, my estate transformed into a fortress.
Marco brought in twenty of our most trusted men, placing them discreetly around the perimeter. To the outside world, everything appeared normal. But inside, the trap was being laid.
Evelyn Crane sat locked in her suite under constant guard. We had seized her personal phone and replaced it with a cloned device monitored by Marco's tech crew.
On Thursday evening, the phone buzzed.
A text message appeared on the screen from an encrypted number linked to Dominic Valenti.
Is the package ready? The buyer wants confirmation tonight.
I stood in Marco's command center in the basement, staring at the monitor.
"The 'package' is Lily," Marco said grimly. "Evelyn was planning to hand the girl over to Dominic's men during the weekend shift change."
"Reply to him," I instructed. "Tell him the handoff will happen tonight at midnight at the old docks on the north side of the estate."
"Are we luring Dominic out into the open?" Marco asked.
"Dominic won't come himself," I replied. "He's too cowardly for that. He'll send his top lieutenant, Enzo, with a crew. We capture Enzo, clear the board, and then take the fight directly to Dominic's front door."
Before executing the plan, I walked up to the main floor.
The house was quiet. In the warm light of the living room, Anna was sitting on the couch, teaching Lily how to draw with colored pencils. Lily was laughing, her small legs swinging freely over the edge of the cushions. The wooden ramp had made a massive difference—not just in her mobility, but in her confidence. She didn't look like a terrified child anymore.
Anna looked up as I entered. She stood up immediately. "Mr. Moretti."
"Stay sitting, Anna," I said, walking over and taking a seat in the armchair opposite them.
Lily looked up from her paper and pointed her pencil at me. "Look, Mr. Moretti! I drew a house!"
I looked at the colorful drawing. It showed a large brown house with a giant yellow ramp leading up to the front door, and three stick figures standing outside: a small girl, a woman, and a tall man in a dark suit with a small gold star on his coat.
My chest tightened slightly.
"That's a very fine drawing, Lily," I said softly.
"The tall man is you," Lily offered proudly. "Because you fixed the bump."
Anna blushed slightly, looking down. "She wanted to include you."
"I'm honored," I said genuinely.
I looked at Anna, seeing the quiet resilience beneath her delicate frame. She had survived loss, terror, and months of emotional abuse, all to keep her daughter safe. In my world, strength was measured by firepower and territory. But sitting here, watching Anna, I realized true strength was something entirely different.
"Tonight, this whole mess ends," I said quietly to Anna, ensuring Lily couldn't hear the weight of my words. "Dominic's reach over your life ends tonight."
Anna's eyes filled with concern. "Please be careful. Dominic is ruthless. He doesn't care who he hurts."
"Neither do I," I said softly, "when someone threatens what is mine."
The word slid out naturally, hanging in the air between us. Mine.
May you like
Anna looked at me, her breath catching in her throat. There was no fear in her eyes now—only a deep, unspoken trust that sent a surge of heat through my veins.
"Bring him down," she whispered.
