Chapter 4 – THE BURNING GREENHOUSE

I stared at the note in my shaking hands.

She caused the crash.

Vanessa had murdered Emma’s mother.

And Luca had been investigating his own fiancée in secret.

He already knew. That’s why he had pushed her so hard downstairs. He was waiting for her to slip up.

The heavy oak door splintered again with a deafening crack.

Vanessa’s brother was about to break through.

I grabbed the heavy bronze paperweight off Luca’s desk and stood in front of Emma, ready to fight for our lives.

The door finally gave way.

The man lunged into the room.

But before he could take a single step toward us, a massive shadow appeared in the doorway behind him.

It was Daniel, the grounds manager, holding a heavy steel wrench.

Daniel swung the wrench, striking the man in the back of the knees.

The man collapsed with a howl of pain.

Before he could get back up, two of Luca’s armed security guards rushed in and pinned him to the floor, zip-tying his hands behind his back.

“Miss Rachel! Are you alright?” Daniel asked, breathing heavily.

I dropped the paperweight, my whole body shaking.

“We’re okay,” I gasped. “Where is Mr. Moretti?”

Daniel’s face fell.

“He’s outside, Miss. Vanessa broke away from the guards in the dining room. She ran out the back doors.”

Emma looked up, her eyes wide with terror.

“Where did she go?” Emma asked.

Daniel swallowed hard.

“She locked herself inside the old greenhouse, sweetheart. And she started a fire.”

Emma screamed.

“Mommy cat is in there!”

The little girl didn’t wait. She bolted past me and sprinted down the hallway.

“Emma, wait!” I yelled, chasing after her.

We ran down the grand staircase, through the chaotic dining room, and burst through the French doors onto the back terrace.

The night sky was filled with thick, black smoke.

The wooden walls of the old greenhouse were fully engulfed in bright orange flames.

Luca was standing near the glass doors, fighting against two of his own security guards who were physically holding him back.

“Let me go!” Luca roared, his face covered in soot. “My daughter’s cat is in there!”

“The roof is collapsing, Boss!” a guard shouted over the roar of the fire. “It’s a death trap!”

Vanessa was nowhere to be seen. She had slipped out the back window after starting the blaze.

Emma ran across the lawn, screaming hysterically.

“Mommy! Mommy cat!”

Luca caught his daughter before she could get too close to the flames. He fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around her as she sobbed into his chest.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Luca wept, burying his face in her hair. “I’m so sorry.”

I stood there, watching this powerful mafia boss break down because he couldn’t save a stray cat for his little girl.

I thought about my own mother.

I thought about how much it hurt to feel helpless when someone you love is suffering.

I looked at the fountain in the center of the garden.

Without thinking, I grabbed a heavy wool blanket from one of the patio chairs.

I ran to the fountain and threw the blanket into the freezing water, soaking it completely.

“Rachel, what are you doing?!” Daniel yelled.

I didn’t answer.

I threw the dripping wet blanket over my head and shoulders.

And before anyone could stop me, I sprinted straight into the burning greenhouse.

The heat was instantaneous and blinding.

Thick smoke filled my lungs, making me gag.

“Kitty!” I screamed, coughing violently. “Where are you?!”

The roar of the fire drowned out my voice.

Flaming pieces of wood crashed down around me.

I dropped to my hands and knees, crawling beneath the smoke, desperately searching the floor.

Near the back wall, under the collapsed remains of a wooden potting bench, I saw a pair of glowing green eyes.

The mother cat was trapped beneath a heavy, burning plank.

She was crying weakly.

I crawled forward, the heat searing my skin through the wet blanket.

I grabbed the burning plank with both hands.

The pain was agonizing, but I gritted my teeth and lifted the wood just enough for the cat to scramble out.

I scooped her into my arms, wrapping her tightly in the wet wool.

Above me, the heavy wooden ceiling beams began to groan.

I turned and ran blindly toward the door.

I burst through the shattering glass just as the entire roof of the greenhouse collapsed behind me in an explosion of sparks and ash.

I hit the grass hard, rolling away from the flames.

I lay there, coughing violently, my hands burning with pain.

But I could feel the small, heartbeat of the mother cat against my chest.

Suddenly, strong hands were pulling me up.

It was Luca.

His face was streaked with ash and tears.

He didn’t just help me up. He pulled me into a fierce, protective embrace, shielding me from the heat.

“You stupid, brave girl,” Luca breathed, his voice rough with emotion.

Emma ran over, tears streaming down her face.

She gently reached into the blanket and pulled the soot-covered mother cat into her arms.

“You saved her,” Emma wept, hugging me around the waist. “You saved her, Miss Rachel.”

I tried to smile, but the pain in my hands was overwhelming.

The world began to spin.

The sound of police sirens wailed in the distance.

I closed my eyes.

And before I passed out, I heard Luca Moretti say, “Bring my private doctor. If anything happens to this woman, I will burn this city to the ground.”