Chapter 5 - The Price of Protection
Luca Valenti had been arrested before.
Never while a seven-year-old child was being held in one of his own warehouses.
That detail made the experience considerably less tolerable.
“Hands where I can see them!”
Luca complied.
Four police vehicles surrounded the road.
Nico sat face-down beside the second car.
Antonio was gone.
That worried Luca more than the guns pointed at him.
Detective Samuel Grant approached.
Luca recognized him from Daniel’s death investigation.
That worried him even more.
“Valenti.”
“Detective.”
“You’re under arrest for possession of illegal firearms, obstruction, witness intimidation—”
“You’re wasting time.”
Grant smiled.
“People like you always say that.”
“There is a kidnapped child at 880 South Mercer, warehouse fourteen.”
Grant’s smile vanished slightly.
“Convenient.”
“Call it in.”
“We already searched that property an hour ago.”
Luca’s heart dropped.
“What?”
“Anonymous report.”
“Then they moved.”
Nico lifted his head.
“Boss.”
An officer shoved him down.
Luca thought.
Adrian had predicted their route.
Predicted Mara’s plan.
Predicted police response.
Meaning warehouse fourteen had never been the final location.
It was theater.
Meanwhile Mara stood beside Lily pretending she wasn’t terrified.
Adrian paced.
“You corrupted the drive.”
“Yes.”
“You’re brave.”
“No.”
She looked at Lily.
“I’m scared out of my mind.”
Adrian studied her.
“That makes what you did stupider.”
“Daniel used to say the same thing.”
Something flashed in Adrian’s eyes.
Guilt?
No.
Annoyance.
“You killed him.”
Adrian sighed.
“Your husband killed himself.”
“You ran him off the road.”
“He had choices.”
“So does everyone.”
Mara shifted slightly closer to Lily.
Adrian noticed.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Try to be clever.”
“I’m not.”
She was.
Daniel had taught her something during years of emergency repair calls.
Always know where the exits are.
Warehouse fourteen had three.
Main door.
Loading dock.
Emergency stairwell.
Two armed men guarded the first two.
Nobody near the stairwell.
Why?
Because maybe it didn’t actually open.
Or Adrian had forgotten it.
Mara needed time.
“What did Daniel take from you?”
“Insurance.”
“The files?”
“Yes.”
“Why threaten me for seventy-five thousand?”
Adrian smiled.
“To see whether you knew.”
Mara stared.
“The debt wasn’t real.”
“No.”
“You terrorized us for months just to see what I knew?”
“Fear makes people reveal things.”
“My daughter stopped sleeping.”
Adrian looked at Lily.
“I’m sorry about that.”
Mara almost attacked him.
“Don’t you dare.”
“What?”
“Pretend you’re sorry.”
His face chilled.
“You think Luca Valenti is better?”
“I barely know him.”
“You know enough.”
“I know he didn’t photograph my daughter outside school.”
Adrian looked away.
There.
A weakness.
Mara pushed.
“You’re afraid of him.”
“No.”
“You’ve spent years stealing from him, hiding from him, manipulating his family. Men who aren’t afraid don’t work this hard.”
Adrian slapped her.
Lily screamed.
Mara tasted blood.
Then the child did something unexpected.
She stood between them.
“Don’t hit my mom.”
Adrian froze.
Mara’s heart broke.
“Lily, come here.”
“No.”
Her tiny fists clenched.
“She didn’t do anything.”
Adrian stared at her.
For one strange second, pain crossed his face.
Then he turned away.
Mara saw it.
“You had a child.”
He didn’t answer.
“You did.”
“Stop talking.”
“What happened?”
“I said stop.”
“Did Luca kill them?”
Adrian turned so quickly Mara flinched.
“No.”
There was the answer.
Then why?
Adrian looked toward the window.
“My son needed surgery.”
Mara waited.
“Insurance denied it. Foundation waitlist was eight months.”
“Sofia’s foundation?”
He nodded.
“My son had eight weeks.”
Understanding arrived.
“You stole foundation money.”
“At first.”
“To pay for surgery.”
“Yes.”
“Did he live?”
“No.”
The word fell flat.
Mara’s anger didn’t disappear.
But the monster became human.
That was more disturbing.
“After he died,” Adrian continued, “I realized something. Luca had millions. Sofia’s foundation had millions. Everybody had money except the people begging.”
“So you stole more.”
“I took what powerful people waste.”
“And sold Luca’s route.”
“That was Antonio.”
“You used him.”
“Yes.”
“You caused Sofia and Eva to die.”
“No.”
“You knew someone wanted Luca dead.”
Adrian looked at her.
“I knew.”
“That makes you responsible.”
His jaw tightened.
Mara continued.
“My husband died because you kept protecting yourself.”
“I didn’t want Daniel dead.”
“But he is.”
Silence.
She understood something.
“Who drove the car?”
Adrian said nothing.
“Who killed my husband?”
His gaze moved toward the loading door.
Mara followed it.
Antonio stepped inside.
Everything went cold.
Antonio looked at her.
“I’m sorry.”
Mara backed away.
“No.”
Adrian smiled without humor.
“You wanted truth.”
Mara stared at Antonio.
“You said you didn’t kill him.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“Stop.”
“I only wanted the drive.”
“Stop talking.”
“Daniel panicked. He accelerated. I followed.”
Tears burned behind Mara’s eyes.
“He crashed.”
Antonio’s voice cracked.
“I never touched his car.”
“You chased him.”
“Yes.”
“You watched him die.”
Antonio looked down.
“Yes.”
Mara crossed the distance between them and hit him.
Hard.
Again.
Again.
Antonio didn’t defend himself.
Lily cried.
Mara stopped.
Her entire body shook.
“You took her father.”
Antonio whispered, “I know.”
“No. You don’t get to know.”
Adrian checked his watch.
“We need to go.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere Valenti won’t find.”
Antonio looked uneasy.
“That wasn’t our deal.”
“Our deal changed.”
“What about the child?”
“She comes.”
Antonio stared.
“No.”
Adrian smiled.
Interesting.
“Growing a conscience?”
“She has nothing to do with this.”
“She has everything to do with it.”
Mara moved beside Lily.
Antonio stepped between them and Adrian.
“I said she stays.”
Adrian drew a gun.
Antonio froze.
“Move.”
“No.”
Adrian sighed.
Then gunfire erupted outside.
The loading door exploded inward.
Nico entered first.
Blood ran down one side of his face.
Behind him came Luca.
No coat.
White shirt torn at the shoulder.
Tattooed hands gripping a handgun.
Adrian raised his weapon.
Mara grabbed Lily and threw them both behind a steel table.
Shots cracked.
Antonio tackled Adrian.
Nico fired at one of the guards.
Luca crossed the warehouse straight toward Mara.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Lily?”
“I’m okay,” Lily cried.
Luca crouched.
For the first time Mara saw terror in his face.
Real terror.
Then Antonio screamed.
Adrian had shot him in the abdomen.
Luca turned.
Adrian stood near the emergency exit.
He aimed at Lily.
Luca moved without hesitation.
He stepped directly between the gun and the child.
Adrian fired.
Luca jerked backward.
Mara screamed.
He fell.
Everything after happened quickly.
Nico shot Adrian’s weapon from his hand.
Police poured through the loading dock.
Detective Grant shouted orders.
Antonio collapsed.
Adrian was handcuffed.
Mara crawled toward Luca.
Blood spread across his white shirt near the shoulder.
“Luca.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’ve been shot.”
“I’ve had worse.”
“You are absolutely insane.”
“Probably.”
Lily knelt beside him.
“You saved me.”
Luca looked at her.
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
His expression softened.
“Because somebody should have saved Eva.”
Lily wrapped her arms around his neck.
Luca froze.
Then slowly, painfully, he hugged her back.
Mara covered her mouth.
For one second, the warehouse became silent in her mind.
A wounded man.
A frightened child.
A debt carried twelve years.
Then Antonio groaned.
Luca looked toward his uncle.
Paramedics rushed in.
Antonio grabbed Luca’s wrist as they lifted him.
“There’s something else.”
Luca’s eyes hardened.
“What?”
“Adrian wasn’t the one who ordered Daniel followed.”
Mara stopped.
Antonio coughed.
“Who was?”
Antonio looked directly at Detective Grant.
The detective stood ten feet away.
Watching them.
Antonio whispered:
“Him.”
May you like
And Detective Samuel Grant slowly reached for his gun.
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