Chapter 16 - The Trap SpringsBefore Clara could draw breath to scream, the balcony door burst open, and a second intruder lunged into the room, grabbing Clara from behind and slapping a heavy, chemical-soaked cloth over her mouth and nose.
The sweet, sickening smell of chloroform flooded her senses. She thrashed wildly, her nails clawing at the man's arms, her eyes locking onto Leo’s crib across the room.
No... Leo...
Her vision swam, the golden lights of the chandelier blurring into violent streaks of crimson and black before she collapsed entirely into unconsciousness.
Hours later, Clara woke up with a splitting headache, the taste of copper and chemicals heavy on her tongue.
She blinked against the harsh fluorescent glare. She was no longer in the comfortable estate. She was tied securely to a heavy metal chair in an abandoned brick warehouse, the sound of rushing river water echoing through the broken windows.
"She's awake," a cold, metallic voice rang out from the shadows.
A man stepped forward into the light. He wasn't one of Maroni's thugs, nor was he part of the Commission. He wore an immaculate gray bespoke suit, but his eyes were entirely dead. It was Dominic Moretti—Rico’s estranged older uncle, a man exiled to Chicago a decade ago for an attempted coup against Rico’s father.
"Uncle Dominic," Clara croaked out, her throat burning.
Dominic smiled, a chilling, serpentine expression. "Ah, the famous waitress. The one who tamed the beast of Brooklyn. Tell me, my dear, did my nephew really think he could banish me to the Midwest and expect me to stay there while he plays house with a nobody?"
"Rico will find you," Clara said steadily, testing the ropes around her wrists. They were tied too tight, cutting deep into her skin. "And when he does, he won't just kill you. He'll erase you."
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Dominic laughed, a dry, grating sound. "Let him try. Right now, Rico is walking right into my terminal trap at the Brooklyn piers, thinking he's rescuing a shipment of arms. By dawn, both he and his little bastard son will be at the bottom of the East River. And I... will take back what was stolen from my branch of the family."
Clara’s heart seized. It wasn't just a coup. It was a complete extermination.
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