Chapter 6 - The Desperate Play
The reality of her situation crashed down on Lucinda like a physical weight. The fortune she had spent hours counting in her mind, the power she had wielded over the maids and soldiers—it was all dust. She was a pawn who had mistakenly believed she was the queen. But survival instinct, honed by years of clawing her way up the social ladder, kicked in. She wiped a streak of wet food from her forehead, her eyes darting toward the heavy oak doors. She needed to get out. She needed to make a call.
I'm leaving, Lucinda declared, trying to inject venom back into her tone, though her hands were shaking visibly. You two are insane. Keep your fake ledgers and your old rings. I will go to the police. I know enough names, enough dates, to put you both in federal prison for the rest of your miserable lives.
She turned on her ruined heels, marching toward the exit with as much dignity as a woman covered in garbage could muster. She expected Damian’s soldiers to block her path, to grab her arms and drag her down to the soundproof basement she knew existed beneath the wine cellar. But nobody moved. Damian didn't utter a command. The guards at the door simply opened them, allowing her to pass into the grand foyer.
As she rushed up the grand sweeping staircase toward her bedroom, her mind raced furiously. The threat to go to the police was hollow; she was deeply implicated in the fake money laundering herself. She needed real leverage. She needed her secret insurance policy. For the past six months, anticipating a rainy day, Lucinda had been quietly feeding information to the Romanos, the Vescari family’s oldest and most violent rivals. She had promised them shipping schedules and port access codes in exchange for a massive payout and protection.
She burst into her lavish bedroom, slamming and locking the heavy door behind her. She ignored the ruined emerald dress and practically threw herself across the silk sheets to reach the burner phone taped securely beneath her bedside table. Her fingers fumbled in her panic, but she managed to power it on. She dialed the unlisted number of Vincent Romano. The phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Pick up, pick up, pick up, she muttered frantically, pacing the length of the room. Finally, the line clicked open.
Vincent, she breathed into the receiver, her voice trembling with urgency. It's Lucinda. The deal is off track. They know I’ve been digging. I need extraction tonight. I have the port schedules for the next month memorized, but you need to get me out of this house right now.
May you like
There was a long, chilling silence on the other end of the line. Lucinda stopped pacing. She pressed the phone harder against her ear, listening for the sound of breathing, for the traffic of the city. Instead, she heard the unmistakable sound of a heavy crystal glass being set down onto a wooden desk.
I'm afraid Vincent is unavailable to take your call right now, Lucinda, a smooth, terrifyingly familiar voice echoed through the speaker. It was Margaret Vescari.
