Chapter 6 - The Night Marco Chose His Family
Darkness swallowed the estate.
For three seconds, nobody moved.
Then emergency lights flickered on.
Red.
Dim.
Marco drew his weapon.
“Grace, safe room.”
She grabbed his arm.
“The babies—”
“Teresa has them.”
A scream came from upstairs.
Marco ran.
Grace followed.
“Stay back!”
“No!”
They reached the nursery corridor.
One security guard lay unconscious near the stairs.
The safe-room door stood open.
Empty.
Marco stopped.
The world seemed to disappear behind his eyes.
“Leo.”
Grace rushed inside.
Blankets lay on the floor.
Lucy’s diaper bag remained beside the chair.
No babies.
No Teresa.
Grace turned.
“Marco…”
His face was terrifying.
Not because he shouted.
Because he became absolutely still.
His phone rang.
Unknown number.
Marco answered.
Dominic Salerno’s voice came through.
“You spent years making everyone afraid of losing something, Marco.”
Marco’s hand tightened around the phone.
“Where is the child?”
“Children.”
Grace covered her mouth.
Marco looked at her.
Dominic laughed.
“The widow’s daughter is adorable.”
“If you touch them—”
“There he is.”
Dominic sounded pleased.
“The man everyone remembers.”
Marco forced himself to breathe.
“What do you want?”
“The documents.”
“They’re with federal investigators.”
“Copies exist.”
“Yes.”
“Bring them.”
“They’re worthless now.”
“Not entirely.”
A pause.
“I want the originals. And I want your recorded statement saying the evidence was fabricated.”
Marco understood.
Dominic hoped to create enough confusion to protect political allies and delay prosecution.
“Where?”
“Your father’s old warehouse.”
Marco closed his eyes.
Of course.
The river terminal.
“Come alone.”
“Teresa?”
“Alive.”
“Leo and Lucy?”
“Alive.”
Grace stepped closer to the phone.
“I want to hear them.”
Dominic paused.
“Grace Bennett.”
Her skin crawled.
“You’ve caused quite a bit of trouble for someone who teaches four-year-olds.”
“Let me hear my daughter.”
A moment later Lucy began crying through the phone.
Grace nearly collapsed.
Then Leo.
Stronger now.
Angry.
Alive.
Grace closed her eyes.
Dominic returned.
“One hour.”
The call ended.
Marco immediately called the federal agent handling his cooperation.
Grace stared.
“You’re telling them?”
“Yes.”
Relief flooded her.
Then he added, “But I’m going in first.”
“No.”
“I have to.”
“They said come alone because they want to kill you.”
“They won’t kill me until they have what they want.”
“You don’t know that.”
Marco looked at her.
“I know men like Dominic.”
“Because you were one?”
The words were harsh.
Marco nodded.
“Yes.”
Grace’s anger disappeared.
He did not defend himself.
He never did.
“I know how he thinks,” Marco continued. “If authorities arrive before I get close, he’ll panic.”
“What are you planning?”
“To give him what he thinks he wants.”
The originals were already secured.
Marco prepared a duplicate folder.
Federal agents fitted him with a transmitter.
Luca argued for body armor.
Marco refused until Grace physically shoved the vest into his hands.
“Wear it.”
“It’ll show under the shirt.”
“I don’t care.”
“Dominic might.”
“Marco.”
He looked at her.
“Wear it.”
He did.
Luca stared.
“I’ve been telling him that for fifteen years.”
Grace ignored him.
Before Marco left, he entered Leo’s empty nursery.
The silence there broke something inside him.
Grace stood behind him.
“Bring them home.”
Marco looked at the crib.
“My father taught me power meant nobody could take anything from you.”
He turned toward Grace.
“He was wrong.”
“What does it mean?”
Marco thought about the hospital.
His knees hitting the floor.
A stranger opening her arms.
“It means knowing what’s worth losing everything for.”
He touched Grace’s cheek.
“If I don’t come back—”
“No.”
“You need to know—”
“No.”
“Grace.”
She grabbed his shirt.
“You are coming back.”
Marco’s eyes filled with something he rarely allowed.
Hope.
He kissed her.
Then left.
The warehouse smelled like rust, oil, and river water.
Dominic stood beneath a hanging light.
Late fifties.
Silver hair.
Expensive coat.
Beside him were four armed men.
Teresa sat tied to a chair.
Lucy slept against her chest.
Leo rested in a portable carrier nearby.
Marco’s chest tightened.
Dominic smiled.
“You came.”
“You have the children.”
“Observant.”
Marco held up the folder.
“Let them go.”
“First the statement.”
A camera had been positioned on a table.
Marco approached slowly.
Dominic searched him.
The body armor almost ruined everything.
Dominic’s hand stopped at Marco’s chest.
He smiled.
“Careful now?”
“I have a nephew.”
Dominic laughed.
“You always were sentimental about Elena.”
Marco’s eyes darkened.
“Did you kill her?”
Dominic’s smile changed.
There.
The smallest expression.
Marco saw it.
“No,” Dominic said.
Marco knew he was lying.
“How?”
Dominic shrugged.
“Sometimes hospitals make mistakes.”
Rage exploded inside Marco.
For one terrible moment, he imagined drawing the hidden weapon at his ankle.
Emptying it into Dominic.
He imagined Elena.
Her body.
Her blood.
Leo growing up without her.
Then another voice came into his mind.
Choose him over the empire.
Marco exhaled.
Dominic tilted his head.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You look disappointed.”
“I’m just realizing something.”
“What?”
“You expected me to kill you.”
Dominic smiled.
“Eventually.”
“No.”
Marco looked toward Leo.
“You need me angry. You need me violent. Because if I behave exactly like everyone expects Marco Castellano to behave, then nothing changes.”
Dominic’s smile disappeared.
Marco looked directly at the hidden transmitter button beneath his cuff.
“So I’m not giving you that.”
Dominic’s eyes narrowed.
Marco continued loudly.
“You arranged Elena Castellano’s death.”
Dominic said nothing.
“You paid someone at St. Catherine’s.”
Silence.
Marco pushed.
“What was it? Medication? Delay?”
Dominic stepped closer.
“She was going to destroy everything our fathers built.”
Marco’s pulse thundered.
The transmitter was recording.
“Answer me.”
Dominic smiled.
“She should have minded her own business.”
Marco’s hand curled into a fist.
“But yes,” Dominic whispered. “A nurse owed us money. Elena received something she shouldn’t have received during treatment. Small mistake.”
Marco saw red.
Dominic leaned closer.
“She never even knew.”
Marco moved.
His fist hit Dominic so hard the older man crashed into the table.
Guns rose instantly.
Marco froze.
Leo began crying.
That sound stopped him.
Dominic wiped blood from his mouth.
“There he is.”
Marco looked at his nephew.
Then slowly lowered his hands.
“No.”
He stepped backward.
“No.”
Dominic frowned.
Marco smiled faintly.
“Actually, there you are.”
Outside, sirens erupted.
Dominic spun.
“What did you do?”
Marco dropped to the floor as the warehouse doors burst inward.
Federal agents flooded the building.
Chaos followed.
Shouting.
Weapons.
One of Dominic’s men fired.
Marco crawled toward Leo.
Another shot.
Pain tore through Marco’s side.
He collapsed.
“Marco!”
Teresa screamed.
Marco dragged himself forward.
Leo cried.
Dominic grabbed the infant carrier.
Marco saw him moving toward a side door.
“No!”
He forced himself upright.
Dominic raised his gun.
A shot exploded.
Marco fell.
Federal agents fired.
Dominic collapsed.
Then everything became noise.
Grace arrived at the hospital forty minutes later.
Luca met her outside surgery.
Blood covered his hands.
Grace stopped breathing.
“Where are the babies?”
“Safe.”
“Teresa?”
“Safe.”
“Marco?”
Luca looked toward the operating room.
“He was shot.”
Grace’s knees weakened.
“How bad?”
“Bad.”
She sank into a chair.
Lucy was brought to her.
Grace held her daughter and cried silently.
A nurse carried Leo.
Grace immediately opened her other arm.
Two babies.
One on each side.
Exactly like the night she first met Marco.
Hours passed.
At 3:52 in the morning, a surgeon emerged.
Grace stood.
“Well?”
“He lost a significant amount of blood.”
Her heart sank.
“But the bullet missed his liver.”
Grace covered her mouth.
“He’s alive?”
“Yes.”
The surgeon smiled slightly.
“He’s stubborn.”
Luca laughed through tears.
“You have no idea.”
Grace sat beside Marco when he finally woke.
His eyes opened slowly.
“Leo?”
“Safe.”
“Lucy?”
“Safe.”
“Teresa?”
“Complaining about hospital coffee.”
Marco closed his eyes.
“Good.”
Grace held his hand.
“You scared me.”
“Sorry.”
“You don’t sound sorry.”
“I’m heavily medicated.”
She laughed and cried at the same time.
Marco looked toward her.
“Dominic?”
“Arrested.”
“He survived?”
“Yes.”
Marco was silent.
Grace squeezed his hand.
“You chose Leo.”
Marco looked at her.
“No.”
“What?”
“I chose all of you.”
Grace’s breath caught.
Marco’s voice weakened.
“Is that allowed?”
She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.
“I think we can work with it.”
Outside the room, dawn began appearing over the city.
For the first time in generations, the Castellano empire was falling.
May you like
And Marco discovered he did not want to save it.
He wanted to build something else.
