Chapter 2 - The Receipt With My Name on It Came From Inside Alessandro’s Mansion
The click was soft.
Almost impossible to hear.
But Alessandro heard it.
His entire body changed.
One second, he was standing beside my bed.
The next, he had grabbed Emma and pulled her behind him.
“Down.”
I froze.
“What's happening?”
He didn't answer.
He looked toward the window.
The curtains moved slightly.
Then the glass shattered.
Alessandro pushed Emma to the floor.
A bullet tore through the wall.
I screamed.
“Stay down!”
He drew his weapon.
Three shots thundered outside.
His security team rushed across the courtyard.
Then silence.
Alessandro remained between us and the window.
“Is she hurt?”
I grabbed Emma.
She was crying.
“Mama!”
“I'm here.”
Alessandro crouched beside her.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
He touched her cheek.
“No more crying.”
She sniffed.
“You save me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He looked at me.
Then back at her.
“Because that's what I do.”
Footsteps approached.
Victor Moretti's security chief entered.
“Sir, shooter escaped.”
Alessandro's eyes hardened.
“Lock down the property.”
“Already done.”
“Search every vehicle.”
“Yes.”
“And nobody leaves.”
Victor nodded.
Then Alessandro looked at the receipt.
“Except the person who gave this information away.”
Victor's expression changed.
“You think it's one of ours?”
“I know it is.”
The room went silent.
Alessandro handed him the receipt.
Victor read it.
His face became pale.
“This was printed from our internal laundry system.”
My stomach tightened.
“What does that mean?”
Victor looked at Alessandro.
“Someone had access.”
“To the laundry system?”
“To employee schedules.”
“To security logs.”
“To the residential records.”
I stared at the paper.
Someone had known exactly when Emma would be alone.
Someone had known I was sick.
Someone had known Alessandro would discover her.
And someone had arranged everything.
The laundry room.
The ruined shirt.
The receipt.
The sniper.
None of it was coincidence.
Alessandro looked at me.
“Pack a bag.”
“What?”
“You're leaving.”
I shook my head.
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“This is my job.”
“You're not going back to work.”
“I need the money.”
“I'll pay you.”
“No.”
His expression hardened.
“I wasn't asking.”
“I don't want charity.”
“This isn't charity.”
He stepped closer.
“This is protection.”
I swallowed.
“I don't need protection.”
A gunshot outside answered for him.
Alessandro stared at me.
“Yes, you do.”
Emma tugged his sleeve.
“Mr. Wolf?”
He looked down.
“Who told you that?”
“Mama.”
I stared at her.
Alessandro almost smiled.
Then he picked her up.
“Come on.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere safer.”
He carried her toward the mansion.
I followed.
For the first time, I crossed the threshold into Alessandro Moretti's private residence.
The interior was enormous.
Marble floors.
Dark wood.
Paintings.
Security cameras.
Armed guards.
Everything looked expensive.
Everything looked cold.
Emma looked around.
“Big house.”
Alessandro nodded.
“Too big.”
“Why?”
“Because I live alone.”
Emma thought about that.
“You need friends.”
One of the guards looked away to hide a smile.
Alessandro sighed.
“You're very direct.”
“Mama says lying is bad.”
He glanced at me.
“I agree with your mother.”
That night, Alessandro assigned us a guest bedroom.
Emma fell asleep immediately.
I sat beside her.
Alessandro stood in the doorway.
“She trusts you.”
He looked at Emma.
“She shouldn't.”
“Why?”
“Because men like me bring danger.”
I looked at him.
“Then why are you protecting us?”
His answer was quiet.
“Because someone else brought the danger first.”
He left.
I watched him walk away.
Then I noticed something.
His hand was shaking.
The man who controlled half of New York was terrified.
Not for himself.
For my daughter.
May you like
And that frightened me more than the gunshot.
---
Related Stories
