Chapter 5 - The Trap Springs Shut
At 11:00 PM, the storm outside turned into a blinding white blizzard. Wind howled through the iron gates of the Moretti estate, burying the rose garden under three feet of snow.
Inside the sprawling concrete wine cellar beneath the main house, two yellow floodlights illuminated a dark, damp room.
Rosa Bellini was tied securely to a heavy wooden chair in the center of the room, sobbing hysterically. Dante stood behind her, his arms folded across his massive chest, while two armed security guards stood near the heavy iron door.
The heavy door creaked open.
Alessandro Moretti stepped into the cellar, flanked by Sophia and Emma.
Sophia tried to pull Emma back, her face pale with confusion and fear. "Mr. Moretti... why are we down here? What is happening?"
"Stay beside me, Sophia," Alessandro ordered quietly.
He walked up to Rosa Bellini. He pulled a silver tray from the side table—on it rested the cold, untouched porcelain cup of chamomile tea.
"Drink it, Rosa," Alessandro said, holding the cup out toward her face.
Rosa gasped, twisting her head away wildly, her screams echoing off the stone walls. "No! No! Please, Mr. Moretti! Don't make me drink it! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"What is in it, Rosa?" Alessandro asked, his voice dead of all emotion.
"Digitalis!" Rosa wailed, tears and mascara running down her wrinkled cheeks. "Synthetic digitalis! It... it stops the heart! Paulie gave it to me! Victor Falcone made him do it!"
Sophia gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth.
Alessandro set the cup down. "Why would Falcone ask you to poison me tonight, Rosa?"
"Because... because the shipment at Pier 14!" Rosa sobbed, spilling everything in a desperate attempt to save her life. "Victor and Paulie are moving twenty million dollars in unregistered cartel weapons through the warehouse tonight at midnight! They knew you were meeting the council tomorrow! They needed you dead before sunrise so Victor could claim the family throne!"
Alessandro pulled out his gold pocket watch, clicking it open.
11:20 PM.
"Forty minutes," Alessandro murmured. He turned to Dante. "How many men does Falcone have at Pier 14?"
"About twelve, Boss," Dante replied, pulling a heavy silver automatic pistol from his shoulder holster and checking the magazine. "Including your traitorous underboss."
Alessandro looked down at Rosa. "Keep her tied up here until I return."
He turned toward Sophia and Emma. Sophia was trembling, holding her daughter tightly against her legs, realizing for the first time the full, terrifying reality of the world her employer inhabited.
Alessandro walked up to them. He knelt down in front of Emma, looking into her small, innocent face.
"Emma," Alessandro said gently. "You saved my life tonight."
"Is the angry lady going away?" Emma asked softly.
"Yes," Alessandro said. "She is going away forever. And now, I have to go fix what happened at the docks two years ago. I have to fix what happened to your father."
Sophia looked at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Mr. Moretti... Daniel...?"
"Victor Falcone killed your husband, Sophia," Alessandro said, standing up to his full height, his eyes turning into twin shards of black ice. "Because Daniel wouldn't let him use Pier 14 for illegal weapons. Tonight, Daniel Rossi gets his justice."
He pulled a small gold key from his pocket and pressed it into Sophia’s hand.
"Take Emma up to my private master suite on the third floor," Alessandro commanded. "It has a reinforced steel door and an independent security grid. Lock the door from the inside and stay there until Dante comes to fetch you."
"Please..." Sophia whispered, her voice breaking as she looked at the powerful, dangerous man who had protected her daughter when no one else would. "Please be careful, Alessandro."
It was the first time she had ever called him by his first name.
May you like
Alessandro paused, looking into her eyes for a long, quiet second.
"I will," he said.
