Chapter 7 - Confrontation in the Storm
The iron door at the base of the lighthouse hung open, swaying in the wind with a mournful screech. Rain poured through the cracked glass dome at the top of the tower, sending streams of cold water down the spiral iron staircase.
Alessio led the way, his gun raised, sweeping each landing with practiced, lethal precision. Nora followed closely behind, her ears straining over the sound of wind and waves.
When they reached the top lantern room, the air grew thick with the smell of damp salt and expensive tobacco.
Standing in the center of the room, lit only by the flashes of lightning outside, was an elderly man in a camel-hair coat, leaning on a silver-headed cane. Carlo Moretti.
Beside him, bound to a wooden chair with thick rope, was a woman with grey hair, pale skin, and eyes that Nora would recognize anywhere in the universe.
"Mom!" Nora cried out, stepping forward.
"Nora! No!" Margaret Callahan screamed through her cracked lips. "It's a trap! Get out of here!"
Carlo Moretti turned slowly, a sinister, triumphant smile spreading across his weathered face. "Ah, Alessio. And the sweet, foolish daughter. You brought my heirs back to me."
Alessio raised his weapon, targeting Carlo’s chest. "It's over, Carlo. I have the ledger. It's already scheduled to upload to the federal prosecutor's server in one hour."
Carlo laughed—a dry, rattling sound that chilled Nora to her bone. "Do you really think I care about a digital file, Alessio? I own the prosecutors. I own the judges. The only thing that matters in this world is blood and legacy."
Carlo stepped behind Margaret, pulling a silver snub-nosed revolver from his pocket and pressing the barrel directly against Margaret's temple.
"Put the gun down, Alessio," Carlo ordered smoothly. "Or watch your mother's brain paint the glass."
May you like
"No!" Nora gasped, her gun trembling in her hands. "Please... don't touch her!"
"Tell her the truth, Margaret," Carlo sneered, tightening his grip on the woman's hair. "Tell your precious daughter why you really stayed alive all these years."
