Chapter 6 - THE GILDED GATES
The ride to the Moretti estate was conducted in a fleet of black SUVs.
The windows were tinted so dark the world outside looked like a charcoal drawing.
Luca was buckled into a brand-new car seat that looked like it belonged in a spaceship.
He fell asleep within minutes,
lulled by the smooth hum of the engine.
Giovanni sat beside me,
his phone buzzing every few seconds.
He was managing his empire while we drove through the city.
“The Valenti family has already called,”
he said,
tossing the phone onto the seat.
“They want to send a gift.”
“A gift?”
“A tradition,”
Giovanni explained.
“When a new heir is announced,
the other families acknowledge him.”
“It’s a way of saying they won't kill him.”
I felt sick.
“They have to say that?”
“In our world,
peace is a verbal contract,”
Giovanni said.
We pulled up to a massive iron gate.
It opened slowly,
revealing a sprawling stone mansion overlooking the water.
It was beautiful and terrifying all at once.
The car stopped in front of a smaller stone cottage near the gardens.
“This is the guest house,”
Giovanni said.
I stepped out,
the air smelling of salt and expensive mulch.
The interior was perfect.
Fresh flowers,
soft rugs,
and a kitchen stocked with everything I liked.
“How did you know what coffee I drink?”
I asked,
looking at the bags on the counter.
“I never stopped watching you,
Lauren,”
he said.
“I just did it from a distance.”
I froze.
“You knew?”
“I knew you were in Boston.”
“I knew you were working at the library.”
“I didn't know about Luca.”
“I thought you were alone because you wanted to be.”
He stepped closer,
his presence filling the small kitchen.
“If I had known about the baby,
I would have brought you back the day he was born.”
“That’s exactly why I didn't tell you,”
I said.
“Because I wanted him to have a choice.”
“He has a choice now,”
Giovanni said.
“He can be a victim of his father’s name,
or he can be the man who inherits it.”
“I’ll leave you to get settled.”
“Marco will be at the door.”
“If you need anything,
anything at all,
I’m just a hundred yards away.”
He walked out,
leaving me alone in the luxury.
I looked at Luca,
who was starting to stir in his seat.
I realized that I had traded one set of problems for another.
May you like
The fever was gone,
but the storm was just beginning.
