Chapter 4 - BLOOD DOESN’T MEAN LOYAL
Dante Moretti arrived at 1:13 a.m.
He came through the front doors smiling.
Luca did not.
Dante was younger by four years, sharper in the face, lighter in temperament, and famous for making jokes at funerals.
He looked at the guards.
“Did somebody declare martial law?”
Luca tossed the listening device onto the table.
Dante’s smile vanished.
“What’s that?”
“You tell me.”
“Why would I know?”
“It was inside Mom’s piano.”
Dante looked toward Isabella.
Then at Naomi.
“What happened to her face?”
Luca didn’t blink.
“Vivian.”
Dante’s expression snapped from surprise to fury.
“Where is she?”
“Upstairs.”
“I’ll kill her.”
“No.”
Dante laughed once.
“That’s rich coming from you.”
Luca stepped closer.
“Were you listening to Mom?”
“No.”
“Were you working with Vivian?”
“No.”
“Then why does Marco say you had access?”
“Because I’m her son!”
Isabella suddenly hit a high key.
No.
Everyone turned.
Dante frowned.
“No what?”
Naomi walked to Isabella.
“Mrs. Moretti, are you saying Dante wasn’t involved?”
Low note.
Yes.
Dante looked at Luca.
“See?”
Naomi lifted a hand.
“Wait.”
She crouched beside Isabella.
“Did Dante put the device in the piano?”
High.
No.
“Does Dante know who did?”
Isabella stared at Dante.
Her fingers hovered.
Dante whispered, “Mom?”
Then she hit a low key.
Yes.
Luca turned.
Dante went still.
“Explain.”
“I can’t.”
Luca moved closer.
“Wrong answer.”
Dante’s jaw tightened.
“I said I can’t.”
Luca grabbed him by the shirt.
Naomi stepped between them.
“Stop!”
Both brothers stared at her.
“This isn’t helping Isabella.”
Luca released Dante.
Dante straightened his jacket.
Then looked at Naomi.
“You’re brave.”
“She’s annoying,” Luca said.
Naomi glared at him.
Dante almost smiled.
Then his face became serious.
“I know a man named Dominic Vale.”
Luca’s expression changed.
“Dominic is dead.”
“No.”
“He died in Chicago seven years ago.”
“He disappeared seven years ago.”
Luca’s face went hard.
Naomi asked, “Who is he?”
Dante looked at her.
“Someone our father tried to kill.”
“Why?”
“Because Dominic wanted the Moretti organization.”
Luca cut in.
“And because he betrayed our family.”
Dante nodded.
“Three months ago, I saw him.”
“Where?”
“At Vivian’s charity gala.”
Silence.
Luca stared at his brother.
“You kept this from me?”
“I wasn’t sure.”
“You saw a dead enemy standing beside my fiancée.”
“He disappeared before I could confirm it.”
Luca’s anger filled the room.
Then the lights went out.
Complete darkness.
Isabella cried out.
Naomi moved immediately.
“Mrs. Moretti!”
A gunshot cracked somewhere upstairs.
Then another.
Marco shouted through the darkness.
“INTRUDER!”
Glass exploded.
Naomi felt a hand grab her from behind.
She tried to scream.
A cloth pressed over her mouth.
May you like
Then a man whispered into her ear.
“You should’ve minded your own business.”
