Chapter 7 - The Final Trap
The arrest of Vincent Falcone was the largest federal takedown in Illinois history. Within forty-eight hours, twenty-four high-ranking syndicate members and corrupt city officials were taken into custody.
However, the beast of organized crime never dies cleanly.
It was a Tuesday afternoon when Emma returned to her small apartment in Lincoln Park to collect the last of her personal belongings. With her new role as Roman’s chief advisor, she was moving permanently into the private guest estate on the Moretti grounds.
She carried a small box of family photos down the narrow hallway toward the building's rear exit. Brutus trotted beside her, enjoying his afternoon walk away from the estate grounds.
As Emma reached the heavy steel back door leading to the alleyway, Brutus suddenly stopped.
His ears dropped back. A low, vibrating growl echoed from his chest.
Emma froze, her hand hovering over the door handle. "Brutus? What is it?"
The dog turned around, facing the dark basement stairwell behind them.
From the darkness of the stairs stepped three men. They didn't wear suits. They wore dark hoodies and held heavy silenced pistols.
"Miss Hayes," the lead man said, his voice flat. "Mr. Falcone’s son sends his regards. He wanted us to make sure Roman Moretti suffers the same way his father is suffering."
Emma backed slowly toward the rear door, her mind racing. "Falcone’s son is in hiding in Canada. He can't protect you when Roman finds you."
"Roman won't find us," the man sneered, raising his weapon. "And he won't find what's left of you."
"Brutus, ATTACK!" Emma yelled.
The Cane Corso didn't hesitate. He launched his ninety-pound frame through the air, slamming into the lead gunman before the man could pull the trigger. The gun went flying into the darkness as the killer hit the concrete floor with a sickening crunch.
The second gunman fired—thump-thump.
The bullets tore into the wall beside Emma’s head. She threw the heavy box of photos directly into the man’s face, shattering his nose and sending him stumbling backward.
The third gunman stepped up, aiming directly at Emma's chest. "Die, bitch."
BANG!
The heavy steel rear door exploded inward as a black Maybach slammed through the alleyway gates outside.
Roman Moretti stepped through the shattered door frame like a dark shadow emerging from hell. He didn't say a word. He raised a heavy shotgun and fired once. The third gunman was lifted off his feet by the force of the blast, thrown six feet back into the stairwell.
The remaining attacker scrambled backward on his hands and knees, terror filling his eyes as Roman walked slowly toward him.
Roman racked another shell into the shotgun with a terrifying clack-clack. He placed the hot barrel directly against the man's forehead.
"Roman, wait!" Emma cried out, running forward and grabbing his arm.
Roman’s eyes were wild, dark, and filled with a terrifying, primal fury. He was breathing heavily, his suit unbuttoned, his knuckles white against the shotgun's grip.
"They tried to kill you," Roman growled, his voice trembling with suppressed rage.
"Don't do it like this," Emma pleaded, her hands wrapping around his weapon, gently pulling the barrel down. "Look at me, Roman. Look at me."
Roman slowly turned his dark gaze away from the killer and looked into Emma’s green eyes. The lethal storm in his eyes slowly began to recede, replaced by a raw, desperate relief.
"I saw the GPS tracker move off course," Roman whispered, his hands trembling slightly as he lowered the gun. "I thought... I thought I was too late."
"You were right on time," Emma said softly.
Brutus trotted over, covered in dust but unharmed, pressing his wet snout into Roman's palm.
May you like
Roman dropped the shotgun to the floor, reached out, and pulled Emma tightly into his arms, burying his face in the crook of my neck. He held her so tight she could barely breathe, but she didn't care. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him just as tightly.
"I can't lose you, Emma," Roman whispered against her skin, admitting his deepest truth for the very first time. "I can't lose the only light I have left in this dark world."
