Chapter 6 - THE RISING THREAT
The days that followed were wrapped in high alert.
The Moretti estate transformed from a quiet luxury sanctuary into an impenetrable fortress. Armed guards patrolled the iron gates twenty-four hours a day, and tinted surveillance vans sat parked at every corner of the tree-lined block.
Yet inside the mansion, Luca went to extraordinary lengths to ensure Sophie felt completely secure.
He didn't miss a single dinner. Every evening at six sharp, Luca emerged from his study, shed his weapon harness into the secure biometric safe, and joined Sophie and me in the dining room. Sarah’s pictures were back in their rightful places—on the mantle, in the downstairs foyer, and on Sophie’s nightstand.
Friday night had arrived.
In the private theater room, the aroma of real buttered popcorn filled the air. Sophie sat between Luca and me on the massive velvet sectional, wrapped in a fleece blanket, watching *The Lion King*.
Sophie had fallen asleep halfway through the movie, her head resting peacefully on Luca’s lap. Luca gently stroked her dark hair, his eyes fixed on the screen, but his thoughts clearly miles away.
“You’re worrying about Lorenzo Bellini,” I murmured from the other side of the couch.
Luca turned his head toward me in the dim blue light of the projector. “Lorenzo is reckless. Unlike his father, he doesn't respect the old codes. He’s impulsive, angry, and humiliated that his family was cast out.”
“You have the entire syndicate behind you, Luca,” I said softly.
“I do,” Luca replied, shifting slightly so he didn't disturb Sophie. “But men like Lorenzo don't target armies, Claire. They target what you love. They strike where you are softest.”
His eyes drifted down to Sophie, and then, slowly, deliberately, his gaze lifted to rest on my face.
My breath hitched.
“Luca...”
“Before you came into this house,” Luca said, his baritone voice a low, mesmerizing hum in the quiet room, “I thought my life was meant to be purely transactional. Sarah was gone, and my only duty was to protect Sophie and manage the syndicate. I thought emotional warmth was something I would never experience again.”
He reached across the space between us, his fingers lightly brushing a stray strand of hair behind my ear. His touch sent a shiver straight down my spine.
“Then you defied a mafia princess to put a plate of food in front of my daughter,” Luca whispered, his eyes dark with an intensity that made the room feel suddenly smaller. “You brought Sarah’s memory back into the light instead of letting it be buried. And you gave my daughter her smile back.”
“I just cared about her,” I whispered, my heart pounding in my ears. “I care about both of you.”
Luca leaned slightly closer, his hand lingering against the side of my neck, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw. “I know you do, Claire. And that makes you the most dangerous person in this city for me.”
“Dangerous?”
“Because if anything happened to you,” Luca murmured, his voice laced with raw conviction, “I would burn Chicago to the ground to get you back.”
Before I could answer, Marco’s voice crackled through the discreet earpiece in Luca’s collar.
Luca froze, his thumb pulling back from my cheek with reluctant slowness. He tapped the receiver. “Report.”
*“Boss,”* Marco’s urgent voice filtered through. *“We’ve intercepted a convoy moving south from Lincoln Park. Three black SUVs. They just breached the outer perimeter checkpoint on Lake Shore Drive. It’s Lorenzo.”*
Luca’s expression instantly turned to absolute stone.
“Engage defensive protocols,” Luca commanded calmly. “Seal the gates. Deploy teams Alpha and Bravo to the courtyard. Claire and Sophie move to the safe room now.”
Luca stood up, gently lifting the sleeping Sophie into his arms without waking her. He looked at me, all gentleness replaced by lethal resolve.
May you like
“Claire,” he said, extending his hand. “Stay right behind me.”
***
