Chapter 4 - The Betrayal Inside the Family
Julian smiled down at them.
Mia looked at Marco.
He said nothing.
That frightened her more than anything else.
Elias Moretti raised his hand.
“Marco.”
“Elias.”
“You should have given her to me.”
“She isn't a package.”
“Everyone is a package when money is involved.”
Mia stepped forward.
Elias looked at her.
“You look like your father.”
“He knew you.”
“He hated me.”
“Then we're already getting along.”
Elias laughed.
Julian looked annoyed.
Marco moved in front of her.
“You're done.”
Elias shook his head.
“No. You are.”
Men appeared behind them.
Too many.
Marco's people had been compromised.
Mia understood that immediately.
“Marco.”
“I know.”
“What do we do?”
“Run.”
They did.
A chase through the freight district followed.
They escaped into an abandoned warehouse.
Marco locked the door.
Mia was breathing hard.
“Your cousin betrayed you.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Power.”
“That simple?”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“Money is rarely the reason men betray family.”
“Then what is?”
“Fear.”
Silence.
Marco told her the truth.
Julian's father had been the older brother who should have inherited the Vitali organization.
Marco's father had taken control after his death.
Julian believed the throne belonged to him.
For years, he had waited.
Then Elias Moretti offered him something better.
A full empire.
Not a piece.
Everything.
In return, Julian had to eliminate Marco.
Mia shook her head.
“So I'm bait.”
“Yes.”
“And my father?”
Marco looked away.
“Your father knew Julian's father.”
“What did he know?”
“That the Vitali organization was being infiltrated.”
“By Elias?”
“By someone working for him.”
Mia frowned.
“Then why did Julian need me?”
“Because your father left a key.”
“The metal key.”
Marco nodded.
“It opens a storage vault.”
“Where?”
“Under the old Callaway warehouse.”
Mia stared.
“My father had a warehouse?”
“Yes.”
“And you knew?”
“I've known since the day he died.”
Anger rose inside her.
“You lied to me.”
“I protected you.”
“Those aren't the same thing.”
“I know.”
She looked at him.
“Do you?”
Marco stepped closer.
“Yes.”
His voice dropped.
“I know exactly what it feels like to lose someone because another person decided silence was protection.”
Mia saw something break in his face.
“Who did you lose?”
“My sister.”
She softened.
“What happened?”
“Elias ordered her killed.”
Mia froze.
Marco continued.
“She was twelve.”
Mia's heart sank.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don't be.”
He looked at her.
“Sorry never brings people back.”
They sat in the dark warehouse for hours.
At some point, Mia leaned against the wall.
Marco sat beside her.
Their shoulders touched.
Neither moved.
She whispered, “You scare me.”
“I know.”
“You shouldn't.”
“I know.”
“Why do you?”
“Because you see things I don't want people to see.”
She looked at him.
“Like what?”
“You.”
“What about me?”
He took a breath.
“How much I want you safe.”
Her heartbeat changed.
The silence between them became thick.
Then he said, “And how much I want you near me.”
Mia swallowed.
“Marco…”
The door rattled.
They separated.
A voice came through.
“Mia?”
It was her mother's voice.
Mia sprang to her feet.
“Mom?”
Marco grabbed her arm.
“Wait.”
“It’s my mother.”
“Your mother is supposed to be in Bridgeport.”
The voice came again.
“Mia, please.”
She moved toward the door.
Marco blocked her.
“No.”
“That's my mother.”
“It isn't.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I checked.”
The voice outside changed.
A man's laughter replaced it.
“Smart boy.”
The warehouse door exploded inward.
Men rushed in.
Marco fought.
Mia grabbed a metal bar.
She had never imagined herself in a fight like this.
She swung once.
Then again.
She was not trained for combat.
But fear made her fast.
They escaped through a loading bay.
Outside, Marco's remaining loyalist, Elena Reyes, waited in a truck.
“Get in!”
They jumped inside.
Elena drove.
“Where?”
“Callaway warehouse.”
Mia stared.
“You know where it is?”
Elena smiled.
“I was your father's driver.”
Mia felt her throat tighten.
“You knew him?”
“I loved him too.”
They reached the old warehouse before dawn.
Inside, beneath a rotting floor, was a steel hatch.
Mia inserted the metal key.
It turned.
The door opened.
Inside was a small vault.
There were no stacks of money.
No weapons.
Only boxes.
Mia opened the first.
Photos.
Letters.
Bank records.
And one envelope addressed:
Mia.
Her hands shook.
She opened it.
Her father's handwriting filled the page.
My daughter,
If you've reached this room, then the world has failed to keep you away from the truth.
Mia's eyes filled.
Your mother is not the enemy.
Marco is not the enemy.
And the person you should fear most is the person who convinces you he is protecting you.
She stopped.
Marco read over her shoulder.
The next line terrified them both.
The man who betrayed me is closer to you than either of you understand.
Mia looked at Marco.
“What does that mean?”
He stared at the letter.
Then he saw the final sentence.
Trust the woman who survived the fire.
Marco went pale.
“Elena.”
Elena had been standing behind them.
She smiled.
May you like
“You finally found it.”
She raised a gun.
