Chapter 4 - The Betrayal Within the BloodBeatrice froze. The terror in her eyes morphed into something darker—pure, unadulterated shock.
“You…” Beatrice whispered, her voice shaking violently. “You followed me.”
“And I found something fascinating,” I replied, taking another slow step forward. The space heater hummed between us, casting long, grotesque shadows across the concrete floor. I looked down at Elena, who was staring up at me with wide, terrified eyes, completely failing to recognize the older brother who had once carried her on his shoulders.
“Victor?” Elena whispered, her voice cracking. “Mom… is that… is that him?”
“Don't look at him, Elena! Don't look at the monster!” Beatrice shrieked, pulling the blankets back over the girl.
I stopped two feet from the bed. I didn't draw my gun. I didn't shout. When true rage takes hold of a man like me, the volume drops to a whisper.
“Explain,” I commanded, my eyes fixed on Beatrice. “Twelve years ago, I buried a car trunk full of ash. I identified the dental records myself. I wiped out half of Chicago avenging my family. And yet, here my sister is, living like a stray dog in a basement. Who did this, Beatrice? Who faked her death?”
Beatrice swallowed hard, her chest heaving. She looked from my cold, unblinking eyes down to Elena, then back up. She realized there was no escape.
“You think the Rossis bombed that car, Victor?” Beatrice laughed—a bitter, broken sound. “You spent twelve years waging a holy war against men who were just pawns.”
My pupils constricted. “What did you just say?”
“It wasn't the Rossis,” Beatrice whispered, the confession hanging in the freezing air like poison. “It was him. The man standing right behind you.”
I didn't even need to turn around.
May you like
The heavy click of a Beretta safety clicking off echoed behind me in the cramped basement.
“I told you she’d become a problem, boss,” Lorenzo Vale’s voice purred, smooth, calm, and utterly devoid of warmth. “I just didn't realize you’d be foolish enough to follow her down into her grave.”
