Chapter 6 - the storm over the lake
By two o'clock that afternoon, a heavy, dark rainstorm rolled over Lake Michigan, hammering against the high glass windows of the Duca estate.
Inside the second-floor medical suite, six-year-old Lucas lay in his bed. The intravenous detox drip installed by Dr. Mara Quinn had been running for twelve hours. The pale, ghost-like gray tint in his skin was already beginning to fade, replaced by a soft, healthy rosy flush across his cheeks.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a picture book, was three-year-old Emma, while Sarah sat nearby in a plush armchair, keeping a watchful eye on both children.
Lucas fluttered his dark eyelashes, opening his eyes slowly. For the first time in three years, his gaze was clear, sharp, and focused, no longer clouded by the heavy chemical fog of the poison.
He looked up at his father standing beside the mattress.
"Daddy?" Lucas whispered, his voice small but clear.
Lorenzo dropped to his knees beside the bed, taking his son's thin, fragile hand in his massive palms. Tears filled the feared Mafia Don's dark eyes as he kissed his son's forehead. "I'm right here, buddy. I'm right here."
"My legs don't hurt as much today, Daddy," Lucas murmured, offering a tiny, genuine smile. "And the purple drink is gone."
"The purple drink is never coming back, Lucas," Lorenzo promised, his voice thick with raw emotion. "Emma saved you."
Lucas looked over at little Emma, who giggled happily and held up her stuffed rabbit. "Mr. Bunny kicked the bad bottles away!"
Lucas reached out his small hand, touching Emma's rabbit. "Thank you, Emma."
Dr. Mara Quinn walked into the room, reviewing the digital heart monitor screen with a wide, triumphant smile. "His liver toxicity levels have dropped by fifty percent, Lorenzo. In two weeks, Lucas will be running in the garden."
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Lorenzo stood up, looking at Sarah, Mara, and the two children. His chest swelled with a profound, unshakeable sense of protection and devotion.
He turned to his chief of security, Marcus. "Assemble the entire High Syndicate Council at the Grand Regency Hotel by eight o'clock tonight. It's time to settle the debt with Marcus Vance."
