Chapter 4 – The Scorpion Ring

I stared at the back of the child’s drawing. A gold ring with a black scorpion.

I had been serving drinks to Luca’s inner circle for fourteen months. I knew every face, every tattoo, every piece of jewelry the men in his syndicate wore.

I looked up at Emma, who was staring at the drawing with wide, terrified eyes. “You saw him? You were four years old. How did you see who shot your father?”

“I was in the car,” Emma whispered, her voice trembling. “My dad had picked me up from daycare. He told me to stay down in the backseat when the shooting started at the docks. But I peeked. I saw a man walk up behind my dad and shoot him in the back.”

Walter gripped his cane, tears of rage filling his eyes. “You never told me this, Emma.”

“I drew it for the police,” Emma sobbed. “But the detective took the drawing and told me it was just a bad dream. He said my dad died a hero, facing the enemy.”

The detective buried the evidence. The syndicate had paid him off.

“We need to show this to Luca,” Walter said, turning toward the door.

“Wait,” I said, grabbing his arm. “Mr. Bishop, you can’t.”

“Why not?” Walter demanded. “That man is trying to help us!”

“Because,” I said, my mouth going dry. “I know who wears the scorpion ring.”

Emma stepped closer. “Who?”

“Silvio Moretti,” I whispered. “Luca’s older brother.”

The room spun. Silvio was the underboss. He was the man who ran the day-to-day operations of the syndicate. He was the man who had officially introduced Vanessa to Luca.

If Silvio killed Daniel, it meant Luca’s own flesh and blood had orchestrated the hit, stolen their father’s watch, and spent seventeen years covering it up.

“If we tell Luca now, Silvio will deny it,” I explained rapidly. “Silvio controls the security teams. He’ll have you both killed before Luca can even investigate.”

Suddenly, the heavy oak door of the guest room swung open.

Silvio Moretti stood in the doorway.

He was wearing a tailored grey suit. On his right hand, gleaming in the hallway light, was a heavy gold ring with a black onyx scorpion.

“Well, well,” Silvio smiled, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. “It seems my foolish future sister-in-law couldn’t even handle a simple waitress.”

Emma backed away, pushing Walter behind her.

“Mr. Moretti,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Mr. Luca asked me to settle the guests in for the night.”

“Luca is busy apologizing to our business partners for Vanessa’s hysterics,” Silvio said smoothly. He looked at Emma. “You look just like your father, kid.”

Emma didn’t speak. She just stared at the ring on his finger.

Silvio noticed. He chuckled, adjusting his cuffs. “I hear you’ve been causing trouble, Emma. Digging up old coats. Looking for letters that don’t exist.”

“They do exist,” Walter spat. “And Luca knows it.”

“Luca knows what I allow him to know,” Silvio said, his smile dropping. “Like the fact that he was supposed to die on those docks seventeen years ago, so I could take my rightful place as head of this family.”

He confessed it. Just like that.

“Daniel ruined everything,” Silvio sneered. “He pushed Luca out of the way. So I had to put a bullet in his back instead.”

Silvio pulled a silenced pistol from his jacket.

“I should have finished the job with his family seventeen years ago,” Silvio sighed, raising the gun toward Walter. “Shame. I hate making a mess in the guest wing.”

I didn’t think. I reacted.

I grabbed the heavy crystal lamp off the bedside table and swung it as hard as I could at Silvio’s head.

The crystal shattered against his temple. Silvio roared in pain, dropping the gun as he stumbled backward.

“Run!” I screamed.

Emma grabbed Walter’s hand, and we bolted out the door, sprinting down the hallway just as the fire alarm in the mansion began to blare.

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