Chapter 14 - The Viper’s Venom
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The name Falcone sent a visible ripple of tension through the men in the room. Even as a housekeeper, I knew the history. The Falcone syndicate had been trying to usurp the Moretti territory for a decade. The blood spilled between the two families stained the streets of Chicago.
Vanessa hadn't just thrown a tantrum; she had committed treason.
“Why would she do that?” I asked, stepping closer to the table. “She was going to marry you. She had everything.”
Luca leaned back in his chair, rubbing his jaw. “Vanessa’s family has been losing money for years. They are desperate for a lifeline. I thought marrying her would unite the families and stabilize the port operations. But she clearly made a side deal with the Falcones. She wanted to prove her loyalty to them by humiliating me.”
Bruno slammed his fist on the table. “Selling Antonio’s tools to the Falcone boss… it’s a slap in the face, Boss. They’re probably laughing at us right now.”
“Let them laugh,” Luca said, his voice dropping to a terrifying, deadly calm. “Laughter makes men deaf to the sound of an approaching storm.”
He stood up, grabbing his suit jacket from the back of the chair. He shrugged it on, his demeanor shifting entirely from a father to a general going to war.
“Bruno, load the SUVs. Take ten men. We are going to the Falcone warehouse in the meatpacking district.”
“Luca, wait,” I said, stepping forward before I could stop myself. “Are you going to start a war over a box of old hammers?”
Luca paused. He looked down at me, his expression softening just a fraction, remembering that I had pulled his son’s gift from the fire.
“They aren't just hammers, Claire,” Luca said quietly. “They are the only pieces of my father I have left. And in my world, if you let someone steal your history, they will eventually come for your future. Keep Matteo safe until I get back.”
May you like
He walked out the front door, followed by heavily armed men. I stood in the foyer, watching the caravan of black SUVs speed out of the front gates, their headlights cutting through the dark Chicago night.
Vanessa Bellini had wanted to destroy a boy’s wooden box. Instead, she had ignited a gang war that would burn the city to the ground.
