Chapter 9
The screech of federal sirens drowned out the sound of the rain. Red and blue lights washed across the corrugated iron walls of the warehouse, painting the room in flashing warning colors. A voice boomed from a powerful megaphone outside.“Federal Bureau of Investigation! Drop your weapons and step out with your hands visible! You are completely surrounded!” Marcus started laughing. A hysterical, manic cackle that echoed off the damp concrete. “You think the Feds are here to save you, Luca?” Marcus wheezed, blood dripping from his chin. “The entire federal prosecutor's office in Chicago is on our payroll! They aren't here to arrest me—they’re here to take the evidence and bury us both!” Luca didn't flinch. His forearm remained pressed firmly against Marcus’s windpipe, cutting off his laughter instantly. “Shut your mouth,” Luca whispered. He turned his head toward the open warehouse door. Heavy combat boots crunched over the gravel outside. Dozens of armed men in dark blue FBI tactical vests poured through the entrance, weapons raised and pointed directly at us. Leading the federal team was a tall woman in a crisp trench coat. Special Agent in Charge Elena Vance. She scanned the room with cold, calculating eyes. “Drop your weapons! All of you!” Agent Vance commanded, raising her service pistol. Luca slowly lowered his arm, releasing Marcus from his grip. Marcus collapsed onto his knees, gasping loudly for air. “Agent Vance,” Marcus cried out, playing the pathetic victim instantly. “Thank God you’re here! This man—my brother—kidnapped me and tried to murder me! Arrest him!” Agent Vance didn't look at Marcus. She walked slowly toward Luca, her eyes fixed on the mob boss. “Luca Moretti,” Agent Vance said formally. “You’re under arrest for racketeering, money laundering, and conspiracy.” Marcus smiled triumphantly from the floor. “I told you,” Marcus whispered, blood on his teeth. “Family always wins in the end.” Agent Vance turned her head slowly toward Marcus. She didn’t lower her weapon. Instead, she nodded to two federal agents standing behind her. “Arrest Marcus Moretti,” Agent Vance ordered clearly. Marcus’s triumphant smile vanished instantly. “W-what?!” Marcus sputtered as the two agents grabbed his arms and yanked him up off the floor, slapping heavy steel handcuffs onto his wrists. “You’ve got the wrong guy! I’m the victim here! Check the payroll records!” Agent Vance pulled a crisp manila folder from her coat. She opened it and tossed a set of printed documents right into Marcus’s face. “We checked your offshore accounts, Marcus,” Agent Vance said coldly. “Thanks to an anonymous data transfer received ten minutes ago by our cyber-crimes unit, we have every single transaction, contract, and confession signed by your own hand.” Marcus stared at the papers fluttering down around his boots. His face turned the color of ash. “Who… who sent it?” Marcus whispered in horror. Agent Vance looked past Marcus and nodded respectfully toward the shadows near the oil drums. I lowered my hand, sliding the flash drive back into my pocket. I had transmitted the backup files to the federal secure drop-box the moment Thomas attacked the greenhouse. Marcus slowly turned his head. His eyes locked onto me. Pure, unadulterated hatred burned in his gaze. “You…” Marcus snarled, lunging forward like a wild beast. “You little bitch! I’ll tear your throat out!” The federal agents slammed him face-first onto the concrete floor, pinning him securely. “Take him away,” Agent Vance ordered. As they dragged Marcus kicking and screaming toward the waiting patrol vans, Agent Vance turned her attention back to Luca. “And as for you, Luca Moretti,” Vance said, holstering her pistol. “You’re coming with us too. But not as a suspect.” Luca raised an eyebrow. “Explain.” “You’re our primary witness and cooperating federal informant,” Agent Vance replied calmly. “The DOJ is offering you full immunity in exchange for dismantling the rest of the Syndicate leadership across the Midwest.” Luca looked at his mother, then at Sofia, and finally at me. A slow, grim weight lifted from his shoulders. “Done,” Luca said. As federal agents escorted Luca toward a separate vehicle for questioning, he paused beside me. He reached out, his warm fingers brushing gently against my cold hand. “You saved my family, Hannah,” Luca said softly. “And you saved Catherine’s memory.” “I just did what was right, Mr. Moretti,” I replied. “Call me Luca,” he whispered, before walking away into the flashing red lights. CLIFFHANGER: Three days later, as I sat alone in the quiet Moretti mansion organizing Teresa’s medicine cabinet, a heavy knock echoed at the front door, and when I opened it, I found a sealed black envelope addressed to me in Catherine’s handwriting.
