Chapter 5 - The Hidden Debt
I sat in the study. The fire was dying low. Lorenzo was watching me. He held a heavy file. "It is time, Anna." "Time for what?" I asked. He slid the file over. "Your father's true debt." My hands started shaking. "He told me it was money." "He lied to you, cara." I opened the folder. It was full of photos. Maps and coded notes. "He sold information." "He betrayed the family." I stared at the pages. My father was a thief. He was a traitor, too. "Why tell me now?" I looked at his eyes. "Because you are mine." "And my wife has rights." "The right to the truth." I felt a deep chill. "What does this mean?" He pointed to a name. "The man he betrayed." "He is coming for you." I felt my world tilt. "Coming for me, why?" "Because you are the heir." "You hold the legacy." I stood up in anger. "I never wanted this!" "It was forced on you." "But it is yours now." "Fight or be destroyed." He was being honest. It was a cruel honesty. I looked at the photos. My father's face appeared. He was smiling, relaxed. He was a masked man. I felt a sudden hatred. For the man who sold me. For the life I led. For the lies I was told. "Who is coming?" I asked. "A man called Vane." "He is a ghost, Anna." "He leaves no trace." "He kills with a whisper." I looked at the gun. It sat on the desk. "I will be ready," I said. "I will be waiting," I vowed. Lorenzo nodded in approval. "That is the spirit." "But you need more." "You need to be cold." "You need to be sharp." He opened another drawer. He pulled out a knife. It was a blade of steel. It was balanced and light. "Learn to use this," he said. "Guns make a noise." "Knives are for silence." I took the cold blade. It felt like a part. A part of my soul. "Show me the grip." He stood up slowly. He guided my fingers. His touch was a ghost. His skill was a wall. We practiced the moves. The lunges and parries. The blocks and the cuts. I was a dancer again. But of a deathly art. Hours passed in the dark. The fire became ash. I was covered in sweat. I was bruised and sore. But I felt something new. I felt a growing power. I was not just a wife. I was a warrior now. And I was ready to kill. "Enough for tonight," he said. I sheathed the blade. I placed it away. I looked at his face. "Why are you doing this?" He looked at the fire. "I need a partner." "Someone to watch back." "Someone who understands." "Is that all I am?" I asked him softly. He turned to face me. His gaze was intense. "For now, that is all." "But that is enough." I walked to the door. The mansion was silent. The halls were empty. I was a ghost here. But I was a ghost. With a blade in hand. And fire in my eyes. The debt was still real. The threat was still there. But I was changing now. I was a different woman. I was a Spedaro wife. And I was the danger. I climbed up the stairs. I walked to my room. I looked at the mirror. The woman was gone. A fighter remained. Ready for the dawn. Ready for the hunt. I slept like a stone. Dreaming of blades. And the man in the chair. Waiting for the end. Of the debt I owned.
