Chapter 8 - The Vault Beneath the Church
The vault was beneath a church.
Of course it was.
Apparently mafia families liked hiding sins underneath holy places.
At midnight, Luca, Marco, Elena and I entered Saint Gabriel's through an underground passage.
Noah remained at the estate under the protection of twenty armed guards.
I hated leaving him.
That realization frightened me.
Two days ago he had been a stranger's baby.
Now walking away from him felt wrong.
Elena noticed.
"He loves you."
"I don't know why."
"I do."
She touched my face.
"When Noah was born, Catherine came to the hospital secretly."
I stared.
"My mother met him?"
"She held him."
"Why didn't she tell me?"
"Because she promised Antonio she would keep you away from this family."
"She failed."
Elena smiled sadly.
"So did I."
We reached the vault.
My key fit.
Inside were documents, cash, photographs and a video cassette.
Luca found a letter.
His father's handwriting.
For Luca and Mara.
My hands shook.
Inside, Antonio confessed everything.
He had loved Catherine.
She became pregnant.
Salvatore threatened her.
Antonio sent her away to protect us.
Years later he discovered Salvatore had been stealing from the family and financing rival organizations.
Antonio prepared to remove him.
Three days later Antonio died.
Official cause: heart attack.
Luca stared at the page.
"My father was murdered."
Elena nodded.
"Yes."
Another document proved Salvatore had bribed Antonio's doctor.
Then I found something else.
A photograph.
My mother holding me as a newborn.
Antonio beside her.
And behind them...
Marco.
Young.
Maybe twenty.
I looked up.
"You knew."
Marco closed his eyes.
Luca reached for his gun.
"Marco."
"I can explain."
"You knew Mara existed."
"Yes."
"You lied to me."
"Because Antonio ordered me."
"For twenty-four years?"
"He told me if anything happened to him, Mara stayed hidden."
Luca grabbed him.
"She was working in my restaurant!"
"I didn't know until tonight!"
"Her name was Mara Reed!"
"There are thousands of Maras!"
I shouted:
"STOP!"
Both men froze.
I was tired of men deciding my life.
"Marco, did you protect my mother?"
"Yes."
"Did you betray this safe house?"
"No."
I believed him.
Then church bells rang above us.
Midnight.
Elena looked at the vault entrance.
"Someone's coming."
Lights appeared.
Salvatore walked in.
Twenty armed men behind him.
And between them...
My mother.
"Mom!"
Catherine looked exhausted but alive.
Salvatore smiled.
"Family reunion."
Luca raised his gun.
Twenty rifles rose.
Salvatore shrugged.
"You can kill me, nephew."
He placed his gun against Catherine's head.
"But she'll die first."
My mother stared at me.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For everything."
Salvatore held out a document.
"Sign."
"What is it?"
"Your inheritance."
Luca said, "Don't."
Salvatore smiled.
"Sign everything to me, Mara, and your mother walks away."
I looked at Catherine.
Then Luca.
Then Elena.
Then the document.
"Okay."
Luca grabbed my wrist.
"No."
I looked at him.
"Trust me."
For the first time, my brother did.
I signed.
Salvatore smiled.
Then I smiled too.
His expression changed.
"What?"
I held up Antonio's letter.
"You should have read the final clause."
Salvatore's smile disappeared.
Luca understood.
Antonio had written it clearly.
Any transfer made under coercion immediately terminates Salvatore Moretti's beneficiary status permanently.
Salvatore stared at me.
"You stupid girl."
"No."
I looked around at his men.
"According to this, you just lost everything."
Several guns lowered.
Salvatore screamed.
Then he fired.
My mother moved first.
She shoved me aside.
The bullet hit her.
May you like
"Mom!"
Chaos exploded.
