Chapter 9 – [THE MAYOR’S SHADOW]
Answer one: The Cartel and the Bellinis were only Phase One. A deeper, more powerful political conspiracy was still actively targeting Luca.
Open two: Why does the Mayor want the Moretti family destroyed? And what is Phase Two?
The joyful sun shining on the rose garden suddenly felt cold.
Luca saw my face drop. “Emily? What is it?”
I handed him the phone. He listened to the brief, chilling audio file. The relaxed, peaceful man I had just agreed to marry vanished, instantly replaced by the hardened mafia boss.
“Mayor Sterling,” Luca growled, his jaw clenching.
“Luca, why would the Mayor be involved with the Cartel?” I asked, my heart starting to race again.
“Because I refused to fund his reelection campaign last year,” Luca said, pacing the cobblestones. “He came to me asking for a million dollars in untraceable cash. I told him the Moretti family doesn’t buy politicians who don’t stay bought. He promised me I’d regret it.”
“So he partnered with Richard Bellini to ruin you.”
“Phase Two,” Luca muttered, ignoring my statement. “If Phase One was dismantling my business and family from the inside… Phase Two is legal.”
As if on cue, the heavy iron gates at the front of the estate began to buzz loudly.
Arthur’s replacement, a loyal guard named Dante, ran down the path toward us. “Boss! It’s the FBI. They have a federal warrant to search the premises.”
“For what?” Luca demanded.
“Murder, sir. They say they have an anonymous tip connecting you directly to Richard Bellini’s death on the highway last week.”
My blood ran cold. The Cartel had killed Richard. But the Mayor was framing Luca for it.
“Delay them at the gate,” Luca ordered Dante. “Check the warrant for any spelling errors, jurisdiction overlaps. Give me five minutes.”
Dante sprinted back.
Luca turned to me, his eyes intense. “Emily, listen to me carefully. In my study, behind the portrait of my grandfather, there is a wall safe. The code is your birthdate.”
I gasped. “My birthdate?”
“I changed it the night you saved my life at the opera house,” he said quickly. “Inside is a red leather folder. It contains the Mayor’s offshore banking details. Proof that he took Cartel bribes. It’s the only leverage I have.”
“I’ll get it,” I promised.
“Take it to Sofia in the guest house. Hide it until I get out of custody.”
“Custody? Luca, no!”
“I have to let them arrest me, Emily. If I fight the FBI, the Mayor wins. I need you to be strong.”
He kissed me hard, a promise in the desperate press of his lips. Then he turned and walked toward the front of the estate, his hands raised in surrender.
I hiked up my skirt and ran into the mansion.
I burst into the study and pulled the heavy oil painting aside. My fingers flew over the keypad. 08-14-01.
The safe beeped and clicked open.
I grabbed the red leather folder.
But as I turned to leave, a shadow blocked the doorway.
It was Claire. The maid who had supposedly disappeared weeks ago.
And she was holding a gun pointed right at my head.
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