Chapter 8 - The Escape Into The Dark
Alessandro knew the mansion was no longer safe.
If Dante had been compromised,
then the entire security detail was suspect.
He couldn't trust anyone but himself.
He grabbed a small bag and filled it with essentials—water,
food,
a first aid kit,
and the Bianchi ledger.
"We have to go on an adventure,
Emma,"
he said,
his voice steady and calm.
"Like the lions in the story?"
she asked,
her eyes bright with excitement.
"Exactly like the lions,"
he replied.
He carried her down the back stairs,
avoiding the main corridors where the sound of sirens was growing louder.
He reached the garage and climbed into an old,
unmarked SUV that he kept for emergencies.
He drove through the secret exit that led to the harbor,
the tires screeching on the wet pavement.
He looked in the rearview mirror and saw the mansion burning in the distance.
The mercenaries had set it on fire to cover their tracks.
He felt a pang of loss for the house,
but it was quickly replaced by a sense of liberation.
The stone walls had been a prison,
a monument to a past he no longer wanted.
He drove for hours,
weaving through the backroads of New Jersey,
until they reached a small cabin in the woods.
It was a place his father had bought years ago,
a secret retreat that wasn't on any map.
He carried Emma inside,
the air smelling of pine and dust.
"Is this our new castle?"
she asked,
looking around at the rustic furniture.
"For now,"
he said,
setting her down on the bed.
He sat by the window,
his gun on his lap,
watching the trees for any sign of movement.
He was a king without a kingdom,
a boss without an army.
But as he looked at the sleeping child,
he realized he had never felt more powerful.
He had a reason to fight that didn't involve money or territory.
May you like
He had a debt to pay to a woman who had trusted him with her life,
and a promise to keep to a girl who thought he was a hero.
