Chapter 5 - The Snake in the House
I locked the heavy oak doors of the nursery from the inside, my hands shaking so violently I could barely slide the deadbolt into place.
"Nina!" I called out frantically.
The young nanny stepped out of the bathroom, holding a stack of clean towels. "Mara? What's wrong? You're as pale as a sheet!"
"Where is Dante?" I demanded, holding Leo tight. "When is he coming back?"
"He... he said he would be back by 5:00 p.m.," Nina said, startled by my panic. "Is something wrong with Lord Leo?"
"No, Leo is fine," I whispered, setting the baby down in his playpen. I paced the room, my mind racing. I couldn't just accuse Dante’s aunt of attempted murder without proof. In the mafia, family loyalty was everything. If I threw an accusation like that without evidence, Luciana would spin it to make me look like a delusional, power-hungry gold-digger trying to divide the Moretti family.
I needed proof.
My eyes fell on Nina. She was young, quiet, and always seemed nervous around Luciana.
"Nina," I said, stepping closer to her and looking directly into her eyes. "Who prepares the tea for Mrs. Moretti?"
Nina flinched, looking away nervously. "I... I don't know..."
"Nina, please," I begged, taking her shaking hands in mine. "Someone just tried to poison me in the garden. With Oleander tea. If I die, who is going to protect Leo? Who is going to keep him safe from whatever is happening in this house?"
Nina’s eyes filled with tears. She looked at the playpen where Leo was happily stacking wooden blocks, then back at me.
"Mrs. Moretti keeps a locked wooden box in her private dressing room," Nina whispered, her voice barely audible. "She never lets the maids touch it. Last week... I saw her crushing dried green leaves inside a brass mortar before Mr. Moretti came home."
My blood ran cold. "Why would she do that?"
"Because..." Nina sobbed, wiping her face, "Luciana’s son, Marco—Dante's cousin—was supposed to inherit the Syndicate if Dante died without an heir! But when Leo was born, Marco lost everything. If Leo dies, and if Dante has no other family, the entire Moretti fortune passes directly to Luciana and Marco!"
The final piece of the terrifying puzzle clicked into place.
The attack at the restaurant hadn't just been the rival Camorra family. It had been an inside job. Luciana had leaked Dante’s location to the Camorra, hoping they would kill both Dante and baby Leo in the crossfire! And when I saved Leo and Dante brought me home, I ruined her entire plan.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Heavy fists slammed against the locked nursery door.
"MARA! OPEN THIS DOOR!"
It was Marco’s voice—the bodyguard with the broken nose, Luciana’s son!
"Open the door, Mara!" Marco shouted from the hallway. "Dante has been ambushed downtown! The house is going on lockdown! I need to take the baby to the secure bunker!"
Nina gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth in sheer horror.
I backed away from the door, grabbing Leo from the playpen and holding him against my heart.
Dante ambushed? Or was this another trap engineered by Luciana and Marco to isolate the baby?
"Don't open it," I whispered to Nina. "He’s lying."
"I know," Nina whimpered. "The bunker doesn't have a security key. He's going to kill him!"
The heavy door shuddered as Marco threw his massive shoulder against the wood. CRACK! The frame began to splinter.
"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR OR I'LL BLOW IT OFF THE HINGES!" Marco roared.
I looked around the nursery frantically. There was no balcony, no fire escape—only a small laundry chute in the corner of the room that dropped three stories down into the basement linen quarters.
"Nina," I said, my voice dead serious. "Get in the chute."
"What?!" Nina stammered.
"Get in the laundry chute!" I commanded. "Take the extra blankets, drop down to the basement, and hide in the delivery truck in the garage! I'll be right behind you with Leo!"
Nina hesitated for one second, then nodded fiercely. She grabbed a pile of soft duvets, stuffed them down the chute to cushion the fall, then climbed inside, sliding down into the darkness.
BOOM!
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The lock on the nursery door shattered. The oak doors swung open, and Marco stepped into the room, a heavy pistol in his hand, a twisted, sinister grin plastered across his face.
"End of the road, waitress," Marco sneered, raising the gun directly at my head. "Give me the kid."
