Chapter 10
The drive to the north shore took less than an hour, but the silence inside the armored SUV felt like an eternity. The cinematic rain continued to pound against the roof, washing away the adrenaline of the gala and leaving behind a heavy, exhausting dread.
Luca turned the vehicle off the main highway, navigating a hidden, winding dirt road completely obscured by dense, towering pine trees. He pulled up to a massive, reinforced iron gate set into a high stone wall. He pressed a button on the encrypted visor remote. The heavy gates slowly swung open, revealing a stunning, ultra-modern compound nestled deep in the woods, bathed in warm, amber security lights.
"We're here," Luca said softly, putting the SUV in park near the heavy oak front doors.
Hannah looked out the rain-streaked window, her expressive eyes filled with awe. The safehouse looked impenetrable, a true fortress hidden from the violent world of Chicago. She gently shook Sophia, who had fallen asleep during the ride. "Wake up, sweetie. We're at a new house."
Sophia rubbed her bright eyes, yawning cutely, her pale-yellow shoes kicking lightly against the leather seats.
Luca stepped out into the rain, his expensive tailored black suit getting soaked instantly. He opened the rear door and reached in, effortlessly lifting his fragile daughter into his muscular arms. He offered his free hand to Hannah. The plus-sized waitress took it, her mint-green service dress clinging to her legs as she stepped out into the storm.
"Come inside, it's freezing," Luca urged, leading them quickly to the massive oak double doors. He punched a complex biometric code into the glowing keypad. The heavy deadbolts clicked, and the doors swung inward.
They stepped into the grand, dimly lit foyer. It was breathtakingly elegant, filled with dark wood and modern art, but something felt immediately wrong. The air was entirely too still.
"Where are the guards?" Hannah whispered, her maternal instincts flaring as she looked around the empty, silent hall.
Luca froze. His piercing, intense eyes narrowed. He shifted Sophia to his left arm and instantly drew his suppressed handgun with his right. The cold, commanding Mafia boss was back. "Stay behind me," he ordered softly.
He moved silently down the hallway, leading Hannah toward the main living room. As they rounded the corner, the cinematic amber lighting revealed a horrifying sight.
The two elite guards Luca had stationed at the safehouse were slumped on the floor, unconscious and disarmed.
Before Luca could raise his weapon, a slow, mocking applause echoed from the shadows near the grand fireplace.
"Bravo, Luca. You actually made it," a voice purred.
A figure stepped out of the shadows, illuminated by the dying embers of the fire. It wasn't Victor Falcone. It was a stunning, elegantly dressed woman with cold, calculating eyes, holding a silenced pistol casually by her side.
Luca’s sharp masculine jawline dropped in pure, unadulterated shock. His weapon wavered for the first time in his life.
"You..." Luca breathed, the color draining completely from his exceptionally handsome face.
Hannah clutched the back of Luca’s suit jacket, her warm face terrified as she peered at the woman.
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The woman smiled, a chilling, triumphant expression. She looked directly at the little girl in the pale-yellow dress. "Hello, Sophia. Mommy's home."
The woman who had supposedly been murdered three years ago—the woman Luca had grieved, and the woman who had orchestrated the attack on her own daughter to seize the syndicate—raised her weapon, plunging Luca, Hannah, and Sophia into their most terrifying nightmare yet.
