Chapter 10 - Justice in the Moonlight
The glass roof of the botanical greenhouse shattered as torrential rain began to pour from the midnight sky, mixing with the smoke and water from the estate’s automated sprinklers.
Dante Moretti stood near the center of the exotic fern garden, looking immaculate in a tailored dark trench coat, holding a satellite phone to his ear.
When he heard footsteps crunching on the gravel behind him, he didn't even turn around.
“I told your men to burn the east wing,” Dante said smoothly, turning around with a sickeningly charming smile on his face. “Honestly, cousin, you’ve always been entirely too difficult to kill.”
Alessandro stopped ten paces away. His Sig Sauer was raised, the black barrel aimed squarely at Dante’s chest.
“You tried to blow up my engagement dinner,” Alessandro said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “You tried to frame an innocent woman. And you killed Julian to cover your tracks.”
“Julian was a coward who couldn't handle pressure,” Dante shrugged, slipping his phone into his pocket. “And as for the engagement dinner? Well, family reunions are always a bit explosive, aren't they? You took control of the syndicate, Alessandro. You made us soft. Someone had to prune the dead weight.”
“The only dead weight here is you,” Alessandro said.
Dante smiled, his hand sliding slowly toward the silver revolver holstered beneath his trench coat. “You won't pull the trigger. You care too much about the Moretti code. About family honor.”
“I cared about family honor,” Alessandro corrected quietly. “Then you put a bomb under my chair where a four-year-old child could have died.”
Alessandro’s finger tightened on the trigger.
Before Dante could clear his holster, two rapid gunshots echoed through the glass greenhouse.
Bang. Bang.
Dante stumbled backward, a look of profound shock crossing his face as he clutched his chest. Blood seeped through his white shirt, staining the expensive fabric crimson. He collapsed onto the damp earth among the ferns, his eyes rolling back as life drained from his body.
Alessandro lowered his weapon, the smoke curling lazily from the barrel.
Behind him, the glass doors of the greenhouse clicked open.
Isabella stood in the doorway, wrapped in a heavy wool blanket, her father standing quietly behind her. Her eyes met Alessandro’s through the falling rain and rising smoke.
There was no fear in her expression now. Only a deep, unshakeable understanding of the world they both lived in.
Alessandro walked over to her, stepping out of the rain into the shelter of the doorway. He reached out, his strong hands cupping her face, brushing the wet hair from her forehead.
“It’s over,” he whispered, his voice softening completely as he looked into her eyes. “Dante is gone. The syndicate is secure. You’re safe.”
Isabella leaned into his touch, letting out a long, shuddering breath. “And us?” she asked softly.
May you like
Alessandro managed a faint, tired smile, pulling her against his chest as the distant wail of police sirens echoed through the Philadelphia hills.
“We have a wedding to finish,” he said.
