Chapter 5 - The St. Regis Ambush
The Grand Ballroom at the St. Regis was draped in velvet, gold leaf, and tension so thick you could carve it with a blade.
I walked into the hall with my hand tucked into the crook of Luca’s arm. The emerald silk gown clung to every curve, the low back exposing cold skin that prickled under the heavy stares of dozens of armed men standing along the perimeter walls. Around my neck sat a vintage platinum diamond choker—a Ferrante family heirloom that Luca had fastened with his own hands before we left the estate.
“You look breathtaking,” he had whispered against my ear earlier, his lips brushing my pulse point. “Keep your chin up. Let them see who holds your leash.”
At the center of the ballroom, sitting behind a massive circular banquet table, was Vincenzo Coretti. He was an older man with silver hair, a scarred lip, and eyes as predatory as a vulture’s.
“Ferrante,” Vincenzo smiled, displaying gold fillings. “You actually came. And you brought the little accountant who’s been hiding my money.”
“Watch your tongue, Vincenzo,” Luca said calmly, pulling out a chair for me. His demeanor was casually regal, but I could feel the coiled violence radiating beneath his tailored tuxedo. “Nora doesn't hide your money. She manages mine. There is a vast difference.”
I sat down, keeping my hands folded in my lap so no one would see the tremor in my fingers.
“Let’s skip the theater, Luca,” Vincenzo sneered, leaning his elbows onto the white linen. “You’ve controlled the Lake Michigan docks for five years. That territory belongs to Coretti blood. Sign over the deed, transfer the terminal keys through this lovely lady’s clearance codes, and your little pet and her sister will live to see next week.”
“You talk too much about things you cannot touch,” Luca murmured, leaning back and signaling the waiter for two glasses of champagne.
“Is that a no?” Vincenzo’s eyes flashed with venom.
“It’s a declaration,” Luca answered, his voice dropping to a deathly whisper. “You threatened her sister. You followed her to my doorstep. You assumed that because I love her, she makes me weak.”
The word hit the room like a detonated grenade. Because I love her.
My head whipped toward Luca, my breath catching in my throat. He didn't look at me; his eyes were locked on Coretti with absolute slaughter in them.
May you like
“Kill them,” Vincenzo hissed, reaching into his jacket.
Before his hand could clear his lapel, the chandeliers overhead exploded into showers of sparks. The ballroom plunged into pitch darkness, and the deafening roar of automatic gunfire tore through the banquet hall.
