Chapter 7 – THE TRAITOR’S DOWNFALL

“We have two minutes before they blow the doors,” Marco said, checking his weapons.

Dante stood up, ignoring the bloody bandage wrapped around his ribs. He looked at the monitor.

“Paul is a coward,” Dante said coldly. “He won’t lead the charge. He’s standing back.”

Dante turned to me. He picked up the heavy black ledger from the table and pressed it into my hands.

“There’s a storm drain exit beneath the floorboards in the back office. It leads straight to the harbor. Take the book and run.”

“I am not leaving you!” I cried, clutching the ledger to my chest.

“Nora, listen to me.” Dante framed my face with his hands. “If Salvatore gets this book, he controls the city forever. He kills Leo. He kills us. You have to get this to the authorities.”

“They’ll kill you!”

“I’ve survived worse than Paul,” Dante managed a smirk, though his eyes were desperate.

He kissed me. It wasn’t a soft, romantic kiss. It was hard, urgent, and tasted like salt and blood. It was a goodbye.

Dante shoved me toward the back office just as the front doors exploded inward.

Gunfire immediately deafened the warehouse.

I scrambled through the office, dropping to my knees. I found the loose floorboards Dante mentioned and ripped them up.

A dark, damp ladder led down into the sewer system.

I climbed down into the freezing water, clutching the ledger inside my coat.

Above me, the firefight raged. I heard men shouting, glass shattering.

I waded through the dark tunnel until I saw the gray light of the harbor.

When I emerged near the docks, the rain was pouring down.

A black car suddenly pulled up to the curb, tires screeching.

I froze, terrified.

The back door opened.

Sitting inside was Dante’s mother, Rosa Gallo.

And sitting safely next to her, eating a lollipop, was Leo.

“Auntie Nora!” Leo cheered.

Rosa looked at me with iron-hard eyes. “Get in, child. Before my idiot husband realizes where I’ve gone.”

I scrambled into the car, sobbing as I pulled Leo into my arms.

“How did you know?” I asked Rosa as the car sped away.

“Dante texted me from the vault,” Rosa said smoothly. “He told me Salvatore had lost his mind. He told me to secure the boy and meet you at the harbor.”

Rosa looked at the black ledger in my hands.

“My husband is a monster, Nora. But my son is a good man. Give me the book.”

I hesitated, pulling it back. “Dante told me to take this to the police.”

Rosa smiled sadly. “The police are on Salvatore’s payroll. If you give it to them, it disappears. Give it to me. I know exactly which federal judge owes my family a favor, and hates my husband enough to use it.”

I looked into her eyes. They were the exact same dark, protective brown as Dante’s.

I handed her the book.

Rosa made one phone call. She spoke in rapid, angry Italian.

Ten minutes later, as we parked outside a federal courthouse, Rosa’s phone rang.

It was Marco.

Rosa answered on speakerphone.

“We held them off,” Marco’s voice was exhausted. “Paul is dead. Salvatore’s men retreated when they heard the sirens. The boss is alive, but he’s bleeding out.”

My heart stopped.

“Tell him I have the book,” Rosa commanded. “And tell him the girl is safe.”

TITLE: The End Of The Old King

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