Chapter 7 – The Ransom at the Docks

The blood drained from my face.

I grabbed the silver locket from Dante’s hand. The delicate chain was broken. Inside was a tiny picture of me and Lily smiling at a carnival.

“Lily,” I choked out, my knees giving way.

Luca caught my arm, keeping me upright. His eyes darkened with a cold, terrifying fury.

“Where is she, Dante?” Luca demanded.

Dante checked his phone. “Vanessa just sent a text to Marco’s phone. She knows Silvio is dead. She wants the microfilm. She said if we don’t bring it to the old shipping docks in one hour, she’s throwing the girl in the river.”

The old shipping docks. The exact place where Daniel died. Vanessa was mocking him.

“I’ll give her whatever she wants!” I cried, grabbing Luca’s suit jacket. “Please, Mr. Moretti. Lily is only sixteen. She’s sick. She can’t swim.”

Luca placed his hands firmly on my shoulders.

“Emily, listen to me,” Luca said, his voice an anchor in my panic. “Vanessa will not hurt your sister. I give you my word.”

He turned to Dante. “Mobilize everyone. I want the docks surrounded. Snipers on the cranes. Nobody fires unless I give the order.”

“Yes, Boss,” Dante said, running out the door.

Luca looked at Walter and Emma. “Stay here. You’re safe now.”

Then, he looked at me. “Come with me, Emily.”

We sped through the rainy Chicago streets in Luca’s armored SUV. I sat in the passenger seat, clutching the broken locket so tightly my hand bled.

“Why is she doing this?” I wept. “She already lost.”

“She’s desperate,” Luca said, his eyes glued to the road. “Without that microfilm, she can’t access the offshore accounts. She has no money, no protection, and the entire syndicate will be hunting her by morning.”

We pulled up to the abandoned shipping docks. The rain was coming down in sheets, making the rusted cranes look like skeletal monsters in the dark.

Standing at the edge of Pier 4, holding a terrified, soaking wet teenager by the hair, was Vanessa.

“Lily!” I screamed, jumping out of the truck before it even stopped.

“Stay back!” Vanessa shrieked, pressing a gun against Lily’s temple. “Don’t take another step, you filthy maid, or I’ll blow her brains out!”

I froze in the mud, holding my hands up.

Luca stepped out of the truck slowly, holding an umbrella over his head. He looked completely unbothered, though I knew his men were hidden in the shadows all around us.

“You look pathetic, Vanessa,” Luca called out over the rain.

Vanessa’s makeup was running down her face, her expensive gown ruined in the mud.

“Give me the film, Luca!” Vanessa screamed. “Toss it over to me, and I’ll let the brat go.”

Luca reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiny roll of film. He held it up in the headlights.

“You want it?” Luca asked calmly. “Let the girl walk to her sister.”

“Film first!”

“You’re not in a position to negotiate,” Luca said, his voice dropping an octave. “Look around you.”

Suddenly, a dozen red laser sights painted Vanessa’s chest in the dark.

Vanessa gasped, looking down at the red dots on her dress. She was surrounded by snipers.

“If you pull that trigger, Vanessa, my men will cut you in half,” Luca promised. “Let the girl go.”

Vanessa’s hand began to shake. She looked at the dark, swirling river behind her. She knew she had no escape.

With a hysterical scream, Vanessa shoved Lily forward onto the wet concrete and raised her gun toward Luca.

CRACK.

A single gunshot rang out from the shadows.

Vanessa screamed, dropping her weapon as a bullet shattered her shoulder. She collapsed onto the pier, clutching her bleeding arm.

I sprinted forward and pulled Lily into my arms, sobbing into her wet hair. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

Luca walked slowly past us. He stood over Vanessa, staring down at her with absolute disgust.

He didn’t shoot her again. He just reached down and picked up her discarded gun.

“Dante,” Luca called out. “Wrap her up. Deliver her to the police with the microfilm. Let them lock her in a cage for the rest of her life.”

Luca turned back and knelt beside me and Lily in the rain.

He took off his heavy, expensive suit jacket and wrapped it around my shivering sister.

“You’re safe now,” Luca said softly.

He looked at me, the ruthless mafia boss suddenly looking incredibly human.

“Let’s go home, Emily,” he said.

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