Chapter 7: The Insurance Policy
Lucia’s confidence faltered for only a second.
But Vincent saw it.
Marcus saw it too.
He turned sharply toward his mother.
“You said Antonio’s files were destroyed.”
“They were supposed to be,” Lucia replied.
“Supposed to?”
The silence between them was answer enough.
Lucia recovered quickly.
She looked back at Elena.
“You’re bluffing.”
Elena shrugged.
“Maybe.”
“You expect me to gamble my life on maybe?”
Lucia raised her pistol and pointed it directly at Elena’s chest.
“Tell me who has the package.”
Elena smiled again.
“If I tell you…”
“…you’ll kill me anyway.”
Lucia lowered the weapon slightly.
“She’s right.”
Marcus looked confused.
“You’re letting her live?”
“For now.”
Vincent watched the exchange carefully.
For the first time all night, Marcus and Lucia weren't perfectly aligned.
There were secrets even Marcus didn’t know.
That meant one thing.
The alliance between mother and son wasn't built on trust.
It was built on necessity.
And necessity never lasted forever.
Frank groaned on the floor.
He was waking up.
One of the gunmen kicked him back down.
Vincent clenched his jaw.
“That’s enough.”
The gunman ignored him.
Marcus didn’t.
“No more unnecessary violence.”
The man stepped back.
Vincent noticed.
Marcus still wanted to see himself as different from the people he worked with.
There was still a line he hadn't completely crossed.
Lucia extended her hand again.
“The ledger.”
Vincent looked at the black book.
Then at Elena.
Without speaking, they understood each other.
He tossed the ledger across the room.
Marcus instinctively reached for it.
So did Lucia.
For one split second...
Neither was watching Vincent.
“Now!” Elena shouted.
She fired.
The first bullet shattered an old stained-glass window.
The second hit the chapel lights.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Gunfire erupted.
Glass exploded.
Wood splintered.
Men shouted over one another.
“Where are they?”
“Cover the exits!”
“Don’t shoot Marcus!”
Vincent grabbed Frank by the arm.
“Move!”
Elena already knew another way out.
She kicked open a narrow wooden door hidden behind the altar.
“Inside!”
The three disappeared into darkness just as bullets ripped through the doorway.
Marcus cursed.
“They're escaping!”
Lucia remained strangely calm.
“No.”
“They're running exactly where I want them.”
Marcus frowned.
“There’s another exit?”
Lucia smiled.
“There’s only one.”
“And I’m already waiting there.”
The narrow tunnel led beneath the old cemetery behind the chapel.
It was barely tall enough to stand.
Roots broke through the ceiling.
Ancient bricks crumbled beneath their feet.
Frank struggled to keep up.
“I’m too old for this,” he muttered.
Vincent almost smiled.
“You're still alive.”
“That’ll do.”
After nearly ten minutes of climbing, Elena stopped.
She held up one hand.
“Listen.”
Footsteps.
Not behind them.
Ahead.
Vincent whispered,
“They're in front of us.”
Frank looked around.
“How?”
Elena’s face grew serious.
“There’s another guide.”
Someone knew the tunnels as well as they did.
A flashlight appeared around the bend.
Then another.
Three silhouettes blocked the exit.
One voice called out.
“Drop your weapons.”
Vincent recognized the accent immediately.
Not mafia.
Police.
The officers stepped into view.
Their badges gleamed in the flashlight beams.
The lead detective lowered his gun slightly.
“Vincent Torino…”
“I’m placing you under arrest.”
Frank looked stunned.
Marcus wasn’t there.
Lucia wasn’t there.
Real police had found them first.
For a brief second…
It almost felt like salvation.
Then Elena quietly whispered,
“Don’t trust them.”
Vincent looked sideways.
“How do you know?”
She stared at the detective’s badge.
“The serial number.”
Vincent frowned.
“What about it?”
“My father taught me every precinct code in this city.”
She didn't take her eyes off the detective.
“That badge belongs…”
“…to an officer who died six years ago.”
The detective smiled.
Slowly removed his badge…
…and dropped it onto the tunnel floor.
“You really are Antonio Ricci’s daughter.”
The three "officers" simultaneously raised suppressed pistols.
Behind them, a familiar voice echoed through the tunnel.
“Well done, Elena.”
Lucia stepped into the light.
She looked almost amused.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out.”
Vincent realized the horrifying truth.
May you like
The tunnel hadn't led them to freedom.
It had led them into the final trap.
