Chapter 5 - The Purge
The basement of the Rossi estate was silent, save for the hum of the industrial refrigerators and the low, steady sound of rain tapping against the high, reinforced window grates. Tessa sat at the stainless steel prep table, clutching a warm mug of tea Carmine had placed in front of her.
Carmine was quietly chopping vegetables, his face solemn. He had been with the Rossi family for twenty years, serving Zo’s father before him. He knew the signs of an internal purge better than anyone.
“Don't worry, child,” Carmine said softly without looking up from his cutting board. “Mr. Rossi handles his business cleanly. He won't let the dust settle on you or the little one.”
“Marco was his friend, wasn't he?” Tessa asked in a hushed tone. “I saw them laughing together in the courtyard last week.”
Carmine let out a bitter, heavy breath. “In this life, Tessa, men don't betray you because they hate you. They betray you because someone offered them more than they think they’re worth. Marco thought he should have been made boss after old man Rossi died. He’s been bitter for five years. He was just waiting for the right buyer.”
An hour passed in agonizing silence. Then, the heavy steel door at the end of the kitchen corridor creaked open.
Zo walked into the kitchen. His jacket was gone, his dark dress shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His knuckles were slightly red, but his expression was completely composed, devoid of emotion. Behind him walked Gabe, holding a small plastic bag containing the black USB drive Tessa had spotted earlier.
Zo walked straight to the table where Tessa was sitting.
“It was a malware key,” Zo said flatly, sitting down across from her. “Designed to loop the security feeds for twenty minutes tonight at midnight. Marco had arranged for a strike team from the Moretti family—our rivals on the West Side—to breach the south gate while the cameras were dark.”
Tessa’s breath caught in her throat. “Tonight?”
“Tonight,” Zo confirmed. “If you hadn't interrupted him, they would have walked into this house while everyone was sleeping.”
He leaned back in his chair, studying her intensely. “Marco thought you were weak because you were poor, Tessa. He thought because you scraped food off a floor, you didn't have the stomach to stand up to a man like him. He underestimated you. It was his final mistake.”
“Where is he now?” Tessa asked softly, almost afraid to hear the answer.
“He’s being handed over to federal authorities along with twenty years of recorded wiretaps,” Zo replied smoothly, a faint, dark smirk touching his lips. “Killing Marco makes him a martyr to his crew. Letting him rot in a federal supermax prison for treason makes him an example. He will spend the rest of his life in a six-by-eight cell thinking about the maid who broke his empire.”
Tessa let out a long breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Relief washed over her, making her shoulders drop.
“What happens now?” she asked.
“Now, we take the fight to the Morettis,” Zo said, his voice dropping into a hard, decisive register. “They tried to hit my home. That means the agreement between our families is null and void. But before I deal with them, I need to make sure my inner circle is completely secure.”
He looked at Gabe, then back at Tessa.
“Starting tomorrow, I am moving you and Mia into the east guest wing of this estate,” Zo announced firmly.
Tessa blinked in shock. “What? No, Zo, we have our apartment in Englewood—”
“Your apartment in Englewood is an unarmored target,” Zo interrupted, leaving no room for argument. “The Moretti family knows Marco was caught. They will look into who blew his cover. If they find out a maid ruined their plan, they will come after you and your daughter to send a message to me.”
Tessa felt a sudden wave of cold terror strike her heart. The thought of those brutal men coming to her drafty apartment, breaking down the weak wooden door while Mia was asleep in her bed—it made her nauseous.
“They... they know who I am?” she whispered, her voice cracking.
“Not yet,” Zo said gently, reaching across the table and placing his hand firmly over hers. His touch was warm, solid, and completely grounding. “And they never will, because as of tonight, you don't step foot outside these armored gates without Gabe and an armed escort. You and Mia will live here. You’ll have a private suite, a yard for her to play in, and round-the-clock protection.”
Tessa looked at his strong, dark hand covering hers. She had entered this house weeks ago terrified of him, believing he was a monster who would crush her if she made a mistake. But looking into his dark eyes now, she saw only an unshakeable wall of protection—a man who had stepped between her and the cruel, uncaring world that had tried to destroy her family.
“Okay,” she whispered, tears slipping down her cheek. “Okay. We’ll move.”
May you like
Zo nodded, a soft, genuine smile breaking across his sharp features for the very first time since she had met him. He squeezed her hand gently before releasing it.
“Welcome to the family, Tessa,” Zo said softly.
