Chapter 3 - The Trap Sets
Before Julian could force the door open, a heavy hand slammed against his shoulder, spinning him around into the corridor wall.
Marco stood there, his sidearm drawn and aimed directly at Julian's chest. Behind him walked Lorenzo, his coat unbuttoned, his expression unreadable.
"Going somewhere, Julian?" Lorenzo asked calmly.
Julian pressed his back against the wall, trying to maintain his composure. "Lorenzo—I was just protecting the estate. This woman is a liability. She’s filling your head with stories about Isabella to get money!"
"I never told Julian where Sophia’s room was located," Lorenzo said softly. "I only mentioned her name in the soundproof study twenty minutes ago. Yet here you are, with a fake severance package and a driver waiting at the back gate."
Lorenzo walked past Julian and looked at Sophia through the doorway. "Did he threaten you?"
"He told me you wanted us gone," Sophia said, pulling a sleeping Emma closer to her chest from the bed behind her.
Lorenzo turned back to Julian. "The man with the rose tattoo on his hand. He was on your personal payroll five years ago, wasn't he? I checked the old ledger files while you were walking up the stairs."
Julian’s face twisted into a snarl, discarding his polite facade. "You were going soft, Lorenzo! Eleven years building an empire, and you were ready to walk away from the Chicago territory just because Isabella was pregnant! She was convincing you to legitimize the entire business, to sell off the docks, to leave us with nothing!"
"So you targeted my wife," Lorenzo said, his voice terrifyingly devoid of emotion.
"I gave the order to force her car off the road," Julian spat, pulling a small burner phone from his pocket and dropping it to the floor. "And if you kill me now, my associate at the port releases the federal wiretaps on your shipping lanes. You go down with me."
Lorenzo didn't flinch. "Marco."
Marco stepped forward, swiftly disarming Julian and forcing him to his knees, binding his wrists with heavy zip-ties.
Lorenzo looked down at his former friend. "You thought my weakness was caring for my family. You failed to realize that protecting them is what made me ruthless."
Lorenzo looked over at Sophia, who was standing in the doorway, shielding Emma’s eyes.
"Take the child into the main office," Lorenzo told Sophia softly. "It’s safe there."
May you like
"Mr. Moretti..." Sophia began, her voice shaking. "What are you going to do?"
"I am going to finish what was started three years ago," Lorenzo replied. "And then I am going to clear my family's name once and for all."
