Chapter 6 – The Devil’s Bargain

The room spun. I couldn’t catch my breath.

I stared at the rusted rosary gleaming against the dark rug.

He killed her.

The mother I never knew. The woman who had given birth to me, who had tried to protect me from this violent world.

Matteo felt me swaying and gripped my arm, keeping me on my feet. His touch was solid, grounding me in the nightmare.

“You killed her,” Matteo said to Carmine, his voice so quiet it was more terrifying than a shout.

Carmine shrugged, adjusting his cuffs. “It was business, Matteo. Your father was expanding into Moretti territory. We needed leverage. The plan was to take the mother and the baby. But she drove faster than we anticipated.”

He smiled cruelly. “Fortunately, the baby survived the crash. The orphanage took you in before we could find the wreckage. It took me years to track you down.”

Carmine turned his attention back to Matteo.

“Sign over the Russo shipping docks, Matteo,” Carmine demanded. “Transfer the deeds to the Moretti family. Do it now, or the little boy dies.”

Little Leo was shaking, hugging his stuffed bear so tightly his knuckles were white. He looked up at Victoria with wide, terrified eyes.

Victoria fell to her knees. “Matteo, please! Sign it! He’s my son!”

“You abandoned him!” Andrew yelled from the floor, clutching his bruised ribs. “You never even told me he existed!”

“I was a teenager!” Victoria screamed. “I was terrified! I gave him a better life!”

“A better life as a mafia hostage?” Andrew spat.

Matteo remained perfectly still. His eyes flicked across the room, analyzing the tactical situation. Six armed men. Carmine. The boy.

“If I sign the docks over,” Matteo said slowly, “you won’t let us live. You’re not stupid, Carmine. You know I’ll hunt you down.”

Carmine chuckled. “You’re right. I’m not stupid. I just need you to log into your encrypted servers and initiate the transfer. Once the money clears in my account, I’ll take Isabella with me as a guarantee.”

My blood ran cold.

Matteo stepped in front of me, completely blocking me from Carmine’s view.

“No,” Matteo said. “She stays.”

“Then the boy dies,” Carmine said, pressing the barrel of the gun against Leo’s temple.

Leo squeezed his eyes shut and let out a small whimper.

“Stop!” I shouted, stepping out from behind Matteo.

Matteo grabbed my wrist. “Grace, don’t.”

“I’ll go with you,” I said, looking directly at Carmine. My voice shook, but I forced my chin up. “Let the boy go. I’m the Russo heir. I’m the leverage you want.”

Carmine smiled, a predatory gleam in his eye. “Brave girl. Just like your mother.”

He tossed a heavy, encrypted tablet onto the dining table.

“Log in, Matteo,” Carmine ordered. “Transfer the assets. Then, the girl comes with me.”

Matteo slowly walked to the table. He picked up the tablet.

He typed in his password. The screen lit up with the Russo family’s financial dashboard.

“Matteo, don’t do this,” I whispered.

Matteo looked at me. His dark eyes were filled with an emotion I had never seen before. It wasn’t anger. It was sorrow.

“You’re my sister,” Matteo whispered. “I promised my father I would protect you.”

He pressed his finger on the screen, initiating the transfer.

“Transfer complete,” Carmine announced, looking at his own phone. “Very good, Mr. Russo.”

Carmine grabbed my arm violently, yanking me forward.

“Let’s go, Isabella,” he sneered.

But as Carmine turned toward the door, Matteo’s hand slipped beneath the heavy oak dining table.

I saw him press a small, hidden panic button taped to the underside of the wood.

Suddenly, the crystal chandeliers above us plunged into total darkness.

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