Chapter 7 – THE SLEEPING CHILD IN THE TRUCK

The rain felt like needles against my skin, but I couldn’t take my eyes off my daughter.

Mia had always been a quiet, studious girl. The woman standing before me with a loaded .357 Magnum was a fierce, terrifying force of nature.

“Mia,” I breathed, taking a step toward her.

“Stay back, Mom,” Mia warned, her eyes never leaving Carlo Marino.

Carlo’s men raised their weapons, but Carlo held up a hand, ordering them to stand down. He looked at Mia with a mixture of anger and desperate longing.

“Where is my son, Mia?” Carlo demanded.

“He’s not your son,” Mia spat, the gun unwavering in her grip. “He’s mine. And you are never going to see him again.”

“I have a right to him!” Carlo yelled.

“You lost that right when you tried to kill me to take him,” Mia said coldly.

I looked at the cab of the battered pickup truck. Through the rain-streaked window, wrapped in a thick moving blanket on the passenger seat, I saw the small, sleeping form of Leo. He was safe.

“I brought the ledger, Mia,” I said loudly, drawing her attention for a fraction of a second. “I have Vincent’s entire empire right here. I’m trading it to Carlo for your freedom.”

Mia let out a harsh, bitter laugh. “Vincent doesn’t have an empire anymore, Mom. Didn’t you look at the news?”

I frowned, confused.

“I didn’t run into the rail yards to hide,” Mia said, her voice rising over the storm. “I ran to the federal prosecutor’s office. I gave them everything. The drop sites, the wiretaps I placed in Vincent’s study before I left for New York, the payout schedules. The FBI is raiding Carlo’s warehouses and Vincent’s safe houses right now.”

Carlo went completely pale. “You went to the Feds?”

“I burned it all down,” Mia said, a fierce, triumphant smile on her face. “There is no empire left to trade. You have nothing, Carlo. And Vincent has nothing.”

Sirens began to wail in the distance. Not just one or two, but a massive chorus of police cruisers converging on the docks.

Carlo looked at the approaching red and blue lights, then at Mia. He realized he had lost everything.

“Run, Carlo,” Mia suggested softly. “Or die here.”

Carlo didn’t hesitate. He signaled his men, and they piled into the black SUV, tires screaming as they fled the docks just before the first police cruisers arrived.

I ran to Mia. She finally lowered the gun, her tough facade crumbling as she collapsed into my arms. I held her tightly, the rain washing away the blood on her jacket.

“You’re safe,” I cried, kissing her wet hair. “You’re safe.”

We opened the truck door and I saw my grandson for the first time. Leo had curly dark hair and peaceful, sleeping eyes. I wrapped the blanket tighter around him and lifted him into my arms.

“Let’s go home,” I whispered.

We drove my Volvo back to the house. The storm began to break as we pulled into the driveway.

I walked through the front door, carrying Leo, with Mia right behind me.

Vincent was still standing in the study. Natalie was sitting in a chair, her gun resting on her lap, looking exhausted.

When Vincent saw Mia and the baby, his eyes widened in shock.

“Mia,” he breathed, taking a step forward.

“Don’t touch her,” I said, my voice echoing with finality.

I handed Leo to Mia and turned to face my husband.

“It’s over, Vincent,” I said. “The FBI has your drop sites. They have your wiretaps. Your empire is gone.”

Vincent stared at me, the reality of his total defeat sinking in.

“You have five minutes to pack a bag and walk out that door,” I told him. “The house is in my name. The offshore accounts are in my trust. You are leaving with nothing.”

Vincent looked at Natalie, seeking some kind of ally.

Natalie stood up, picked up her bag, and walked past him. She stopped in front of me, reached into her pocket, and handed me a small object.

“Thank you, Claire,” Natalie whispered. She walked out the front door, leaving Vincent completely alone.

I looked down at the object Natalie had handed me.

It was Vincent’s severed gold wedding ring.

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