Chapter 3 - Ghosts of the Past
The confirmation of his bloodline changed everything inside the Ravenna estate. The fortress went from a command center of a criminal empire to a heavily guarded sanctuary. Luca ordered a team of high-end children's designers to convert an entire wing of the mansion into a wonderland for Mia and Cara within twelve hours.
Yet, despite the toys, the silk sheets, and the security, the girls remained hyper-vigilant.
Luca sat with them on the floor of their new playroom. He had traded his tailored suit for a simple black sweater, trying to look less like a warlord and more like a father.
"Mia, Cara," Luca said, rolling a small silver ball toward them. "Tell me about Mama. Where is she?"
Cara, the quieter twin, hugged a plush white wolf to her chest—a gift Luca had given her. "Mama told us to play the hide-and-seek game. A bad man with a scarred face came to our apartment in Chicago. Mama locked us in the secret closet behind the wardrobe. She said, 'Run to the big street, find the wolf car.' Then the bad man took her."
Luca’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked violently. A scarred face.
"Did the man have a scar across his eye, like a crescent moon?" Luca asked, keeping his voice dead calm despite the fire consuming his veins.
Cara nodded quickly. "He sounded like an old radio. Scratchy."
Silvio Romano. The younger brother of Don Marcello Romano. The Romanos had been pushing for control of the Chicago shipping docks for three years. If Silvio had Elena, it meant the Romanos had known about Luca's daughters before Luca did. They had kept Elena as leverage, waiting for the perfect moment to break him.
"Why did you wait until today to find me?" Luca asked softly.
Mia reached into her small velvet pocket and pulled out a crumpled, tear-stained piece of paper. "Mama wrote this for you. She told us to only give it to you when we were safe."
Luca took the paper. The handwriting was unmistakably Elena’s—elegant, hurried, written in blue ink.
Luca, If you are reading this, they have found us. I am so sorry I ran. Five years ago, your father's old counselor, Matteo, showed me the medical files. He told me that if I stayed, your enemies would use the babies to force you to surrender the Ravenna syndicate. He said you would choose us over your empire, and that would get all of us killed. He gave me your mother's ring from her personal belongings before she passed, telling me it was my only protection if I ever needed to prove the truth to you. I did it to keep them safe, Luca. I never stopped loving you. Silvio Romano is coming for them. Save our girls. Please.
Luca slowly folded the note and placed it in his breast pocket, right over his heart.
Matteo. His father's most trusted advisor, the man who had supposedly retired to Sicily four years ago. It hadn't been an outside enemy who tore his family apart; it had been an inside betrayal. Matteo had manipulated the medical records, lied about Luca's sterility, and forced Elena to flee, all to keep Luca focused on being a ruthless, unattached killer for the syndicate.
May you like
Luca stood up. The warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by the terrifying, glacial cold that had made him the King of Chicago.
"Marco," Luca said into his earpiece. "Assemble the captains. Every single one of them. We are going to war."
