Chapter 10 - UNCLE LUCA’S REVENGEAdrian refused to believe it.
Not at first.
“My brother saved you.”
Elena stood in the basement safe room while security monitors flickered across the walls.
“He saved me from your father.”
“Exactly.”
“And then he became him.”
Adrian stared.
Elena continued.
“Luca discovered the trafficking operation while helping me collect evidence. At first he wanted to destroy it.”
“At first?”
“He saw the money.”
“No.”
“He saw the network. Politicians, businessmen, judges, international partners.”
“You’re lying.”
Elena stepped closer.
“I spent four years running from him.”
Adrian’s face hardened.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because every person I sent to you disappeared.”
Silence.
Adrian turned toward his security chief.
“Victor.”
Elena shook her head.
“Victor wasn’t protecting Luca.”
“What?”
“He was watching him.”
Claire frowned.
“But Victor took us hostage.”
“He wanted Adrian away from the children.”
“That’s protection?”
“No. Victor was desperate.”
Elena closed her eyes.
“He thought if Adrian disappeared, Luca would stop targeting the family.”
Claire felt sick.
“Victor was willing to sacrifice Adrian?”
“Yes.”
Adrian laughed bitterly.
“Wonderful godfather.”
The monitors suddenly showed movement at the perimeter.
Men.
At least twelve.
Armed.
Adrian’s security chief whispered, “They’re coming.”
Claire held Sophie’s hand.
The triplets gathered close.
Lucia trembled.
Adrian looked at his family.
Then at Claire.
“There’s a tunnel.”
Of course there was.
Claire almost laughed from nerves.
“Another secret passage?”
“My family enjoys architecture.”
“Apparently.”
Adrian ordered two guards to escort Elena and the children through an underground tunnel leading half a mile into the forest.
Claire grabbed his arm.
“You’re coming.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I need to hold them here.”
“You have security.”
“My security won’t know every entrance.”
“I do.”
Everyone looked at Miles.
He swallowed.
“I know the old passages.”
Adrian stared at him.
“How?”
Miles shrugged.
“We explore.”
Noah smiled faintly.
“Number Three never found us.”
Claire almost laughed.
The same pranks that had driven six nannies away might now save their lives.
Adrian crouched.
“Tell Marco everything.”
Miles nodded.
Then Adrian looked at Claire.
“Go.”
Claire hated the finality in his voice.
“Adrian—”
“Take Sophie.”
“I’m not abandoning—”
“You’re not.”
His eyes held hers.
“You’re protecting all five children.”
All five.
He trusted her with everything.
Claire wanted to argue.
Instead she whispered, “Don’t die.”
Adrian’s mouth curved faintly.
“Wasn’t planning to.”
“That’s not funny.”
“I’ve been practicing.”
Despite everything, she laughed.
Then she kissed him.
Claire didn’t plan it.
One second she was furious.
The next her hands were on his face and her mouth met his.
Adrian froze.
Then kissed her back.
Hard.
Brief.
Desperate.
When they separated, Noah whispered loudly, “I knew it.”
Claire nearly died from embarrassment.
Elena actually laughed.
Adrian stared at Claire.
“We’re discussing that later.”
“You’d better survive then.”
The tunnel was narrow.
Cold.
Pitch black except for flashlights.
Claire led Sophie.
Elena carried Lucia.
The triplets followed Marco.
Behind them, gunfire echoed through the mansion.
Noah flinched every time.
“Dad’s okay,” Claire said.
“How do you know?”
“I don’t.”
“Then don’t say it.”
Claire respected that.
“You’re right.”
They reached the halfway point when Marco stopped.
“What?”
He held up one hand.
Voices ahead.
Someone was waiting at the exit.
They had been betrayed again.
Marco whispered, “Back.”
Too late.
Flashlights appeared.
Three men entered.
Claire pushed the children behind her.
Marco fired.
The tunnel exploded with sound.
Elena pulled open a narrow maintenance door.
“Here!”
They squeezed through.
Miles led them.
Another passage.
Older.
Bare stone.
“Where does this go?” Claire whispered.
Miles shook his head.
“Never went this far.”
Excellent.
They emerged through a rusted door into an abandoned boathouse beside the lake.
Snow fell outside.
No vehicle.
No phones with signal.
Five children.
Two women.
Marco, wounded in the arm.
Then headlights appeared.
A black SUV approached.
Claire picked up Marco’s dropped gun.
She had never fired one.
Elena took it from her.
“I have.”
Claire stared.
Elena shrugged.
“Marriage.”
The SUV stopped.
One man stepped out.
Luca.
Claire had only seen photographs.
He looked like Adrian.
Softer features.
Colder eyes.
“Elena.”
Lucia hid behind her mother.
Luca smiled.
“You made this unnecessarily difficult.”
Elena raised the weapon.
“Stay away.”
“You won’t shoot me.”
“I’ve wanted to for four years.”
“Then why haven’t you?”
“Children.”
Luca looked toward the triplets.
His smile warmed.
“Boys.”
Noah spat at his feet.
Luca laughed.
“Definitely Adrian’s.”
Claire stepped forward.
“What do you want?”
Luca looked at her.
“Number Seven.”
She went cold.
“You’ve caused enormous problems.”
“I hear that often.”
“You made Adrian unpredictable.”
“He was unpredictable before.”
“No.”
Luca smiled.
“He was becoming predictable. Isolated. Angry. Easy to manipulate.”
Claire understood.
The nannies.
“Did you help drive the others away?”
“Some.”
Noah looked horrified.
“The rat?”
Luca laughed.
“Yes.”
Caleb shouted, “That was ours!”
Even now.
Claire nearly smiled.
Luca continued.
“Adrian’s sons were doing most of my work for me. Then you arrived.”
“What changed?”
“They trusted you.”
Claire looked at the boys.
“And Adrian trusted them again because of you.”
Luca’s face hardened.
“Family makes men weak.”
“No.”
Claire stepped closer.
“It gives them something worth fighting for.”
Luca pulled a weapon.
Elena aimed.
Nobody moved.
Then the boathouse doors opened behind Luca.
Adrian stood there.
Blood on his forehead.
Gun raised.
“You always did talk too much, little brother.”
Luca spun.
Gunfire exploded.
Claire dragged the children down.
Elena fired.
Marco fired.
Adrian fired.
Luca’s weapon flew from his hand.
He fell.
Alive.
Shot through the shoulder.
Adrian approached.
Luca laughed.
“You won’t kill me.”
Adrian looked down.
“No.”
Luca frowned.
“You’ve become weak.”
Adrian shook his head.
“I’ve become a father.”
Police sirens sounded in the distance.
Luca’s face changed.
“You called police?”
“Federal agents.”
Elena stared.
Adrian looked at her.
“I sent them your evidence.”
“How?”
“Victor had copies.”
Elena went still.
“Victor?”
“He gave my attorney access before he came to the house.”
Claire understood.
Victor had expected to die.
Adrian continued.
“Luca’s network ends tonight.”
Luca struggled.
“You idiot. You’ll destroy the Moretti organization.”
Adrian smiled.
“That’s the idea.”
For the first time, Luca looked genuinely afraid.
Federal agents entered minutes later.
Luca Moretti was arrested.
Over the following week, twenty-three additional arrests followed.
Judges.
Businessmen.
Police officers.
Former associates of Adrian’s father.
The Moretti empire began collapsing.
And Adrian let it.
He sold businesses linked to criminal activity.
Handed records to prosecutors.
Accepted an immunity agreement for information about crimes committed before he assumed control.
It wasn’t clean.
It wasn’t easy.
But for the first time, the Moretti name had a chance to become something different.
Two weeks later, Claire stood in the mansion foyer with a suitcase again.
Adrian saw it.
His face fell.
“You’re leaving.”
May you like
Claire looked at him.
“This time, yes.”
