Chapter 7 - The Trap in the Courtyard
By Friday evening, the atmosphere inside the Marchetti estate felt like a powder keg waiting for a spark. Julian had returned to his private quarters in the east wing, pretending to prepare his defense for the Sunday Commission hearing, unaware that Vincent already possessed Marco’s hidden memory card.
Rain began to pour again, heavy drops slapping against the tall glass windows of the grand library.
Vincent sat behind his heavy mahogany desk, studying a map of the city’s shipping terminals, when Dominic stepped into the room, his black suit soaked with rain.
"Boss," Dominic said in a hushed, urgent voice. "We caught one of Julian’s private security men near the back generator room. He was trying to disable the perimeter cameras covering the west wing."
Vincent didn't look up from his map. "Did he talk?"
"He didn't have a choice," Dominic replied grimly. "Julian knows we moved Alina and the kid into your wing. He realizes Marco’s family might have had something he missed two years ago. He ordered his men to slip into your wing tonight and take the girl."
Vincent’s eyes snapped up, flashing with lethal fury. "He wants to eliminate the witness before Sunday."
"We can take Julian out right now, Vincent," Dominic urged, his voice tight. "We don't need to wait for the elders."
"No," Vincent said, standing up smoothly and putting on his wide-brimmed hat. "If we hit Julian now, his allies in Detroit will claim I murdered my brother to hide my own corruption. We set a trap tonight. Let them come to us."
Upstairs in the private wing, Alina was reading a storybook to Mia by the light of a small bedside lamp. Mia was hugging her wooden toy truck tightly against her chest, her eyelids heavy with sleep.
Suddenly, the lights inside the room flickered once, twice, and went completely dark.
Alina froze. Her heart slammed against her ribs. The storm roared outside, throwing long, jagged shadows across the room whenever lightning cracked across the sky.
"Mommy?" Mia whimpered softly, sitting up in bed.
"Shh... baby, stay right here," Alina whispered, reaching for a heavy brass candle holder on the side table.
Outside in the carpeted hallway, soft, slow footsteps approached the heavy oak door. The handle began to turn slowly, clicking in the dark.
Alina backed up toward the bed, raising the heavy brass stand with both hands, her breath catching in her throat as the door crept open.
A tall figure stepped through the dark threshold.
Before the intruder could advance a single step, a massive shadow materialised from the darkness behind him. A heavy hand grabbed the intruder’s neck, slamming him violently against the doorframe with terrifying force.
The lights clicked back on instantly.
Vincent stood in the doorway, holding Julian’s senior guard by the throat with one hand, his piercing blue eyes cold enough to freeze blood. Dominic stepped in right behind him, instantly disarming the guard and slipping zip-ties around his wrists.
Alina dropped the candle holder onto the rug, her knees trembling with relief.
Vincent threw the unconscious guard onto the floor like a sack of dead weight. He stepped into the room, his eyes scanning Alina and Mia to ensure neither had been harmed.
"Are you alright?" Vincent asked softly.
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"We're fine... we're fine," Alina gasped, wiping a tear from her cheek.
Vincent walked over to Mia, reaching out his large hand to gently tap the wooden hood of her toy truck. "You two are coming down to the vault with me. It’s time we put an end to this game once and for all."
