Chapter 8 - The Traitor Within
Morning brought a cold, merciless dawn over the lake.
I woke up wrapped in Luca’s sheets, his uninjured arm draped heavily over my waist, pinning me to his side. For a few fragile seconds, the world felt peaceful. But the sudden, sharp chime of Luca’s secure phone shattered the illusion.
Luca reached across me, his muscles tensing as he answered. “Speak.”
Marco’s voice was loud enough for me to hear. “Boss. We found the leak. The one who gave Coretti the access keys to Nora’s encrypted terminals.”
Luca sat up slowly, the gentleness from the night before evaporating into pure, glacial ice. “Who?”
“It’s your cousin, Lorenzo. He’s at the south docks right now, loading three shipping crates with Coretti’s men.”
Luca hung up without a word. He swung his legs over the bed, his back covered in fresh white bandages.
“Luca, wait,” I scrambled out of bed, pulling a silk robe around myself. “Lorenzo? He’s family. He’s your blood!”
“Blood means nothing when it poisons the well,” Luca said, pulling on a black cashmere sweater over his bandages with chilling calm. “Lorenzo sold your sister’s safety for a twenty percent cut of the dock distribution. He tried to have you murdered in that ballroom.”
“You’re going to kill him.”
Luca paused, turning to face me. He looked at me with those cold, calculating eyes, but when he saw the panic on my face, the harsh lines softened slightly. He walked over, cupping my cheek in his warm palm.
“I am going to end this war, Nora,” he promised. “Once and for all. Coretti is cornered. Lorenzo is exposed. By midnight tonight, there will be no one left in this state who can threaten you or Gabriella ever again.”
“Don’t go alone,” I pleaded, grasping his coat lapels. “It’s another trap, Luca. Vincenzo wants you desperate.”
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“I am not desperate, little bird,” he whispered, leaning down to press a firm kiss to my forehead. “I am protecting my home. Stay with Gabi. Do not leave this house.”
Before I could answer, he turned on his heel and walked out, his dark coat billowing behind him like the wings of a shadow.
