Chapter 4
The name Morello hung in the cool garage air like a cloud of mustard gas.
Even the low hum of the ventilation shafts seemed to die. The Morellos were the Ferrante family's oldest, bloodiest rivals—a faction Nico had spent ten years systematically dismantling and driving across the state line.
Nico did not flinch. His expression remained an unreadable mask of chiseled stone. He reached into his trouser pocket, withdrew an encrypted black smartphone, and tapped the screen twice with his thumb. He placed it against his ear.
"Cassian," Nico said, his voice quiet, conversational, and lethal. "Seal the estate gates. Lock the perimeter. Bring Dr. Bennett and four men down to the subterranean garage. Now."
He lowered the phone and slipped it away.
"A contract with the Morellos," Nico said, looking down at Gavin. "Explain that to me, son-in-law."
Gavin wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his trembling hand, but a desperate, cornered smirk began to twist his lips. He realized that the veil was torn; there was no longer any pretense to maintain.
"You're old, Nico," Gavin sneered, his voice slurred through his cracked teeth. "You've been sitting on the northern ports for twenty years like an old king hoarding gold. The city is changing. The Morellos offered us forty percent of the logistics routes if we secured the succession."
"The succession," Nico repeated softly.
"You don't have a son," Gavin hissed, leaning his head back against the tires, trying to summon an ounce of bravado. "Everything goes to Sienna. And through Sienna, to my children. All I needed was for Sienna to sign over the legal power of attorney before the baby was born."
"And when she refused?" Nico asked, his controlled pauses stretching between the words like execution ropes.
"She wasn't supposed to find the files!" Sabrina screamed from the floor, struggling into a seated position among the fallen buckets. Her mascara was running down her fair face in ugly black streaks. "She was snooping in Gavin’s private safe! She took the flash drives! She was going to ruin everything we built!"
Sienna took a sharp, painful breath, her hand tightening over her stomach as a sudden spasm crossed her features. She winced, biting her lip to keep from crying out.
Mila rushed to her mother’s side, wrapping her small arms around Sienna’s knees. "Mommy, does it hurt? Is the baby coming?"
"I'm okay, baby," Sienna whispered through gritted teeth, smoothing Mila’s ruined hair with shaking fingers. She looked at Nico. "Dad... he had a glass of water on my nightstand this morning. Before he pushed me, he tried to force me to drink it. Mila saw him crushing pills into it."
Nico’s head turned slowly toward the toddler.
"Mila," Nico said, his voice dropping into that gentle, velvet warmth reserved solely for her. "What did you see Daddy do?"
Mila looked up, her wide, tear-stained hazel eyes filled with absolute innocence and terror.
"Daddy had a little bottle," Mila sniffled, pointing a trembling finger at Gavin. "He put white powder in Mommy's cup. He said it would make Mommy go to sleep so we could go on an airplane with Aunt Sabrina. When Mommy said no, Daddy grabbed her hair and pushed her into the door."
Nico closed his eyes for two full seconds. When he opened them, the grey in his irises was as cold as a frozen lake.
"You tried to poison my daughter," Nico whispered. "You tried to kill my unborn grandson."
May you like
"It wasn't poison!" Marjorie shrieked, clawing at Nico’s leather shoe. "It was just a sedative! Just enough to induce labor early so the doctors could perform an emergency C-section under our custody! Nico, swear on your mother's grave, we weren't going to kill her!"
"You should have killed her," Nico murmured, stepping over Marjorie's outstretched hands as the elevator doors chimed behind him once more. "Because now, you have to deal with me."
