Chapter 24
That night,
the wind didn't just howl;
it screamed.
The storm that had been brewing on the horizon finally broke,
lashing the cottage with rain that sounded like gravel against the glass.
Alessandro didn't even try to sleep.
He sat in the dark living room,
a handgun resting on the side table,
his eyes fixed on the front door.
He heard the sound of a footstep on the porch,
a heavy,
deliberate thud that was different from the rattling of the wind.
He was on his feet in a second,
moving silently toward the hallway.
He signaled for Rosalie to stay in the bedroom with Livia,
his finger to his lips.
She nodded,
her face a mask of terror,
and pulled the child closer to her.
Alessandro approached the door,
his heart a steady,
rhythmic drum in his chest.
He didn't ask who was there.
He didn't wait for a knock.
He threw the door open,
the weapon leveled at the shadow standing in the rain.
A man stood there,
drenched to the bone,
holding his hands up in a gesture of peace.
It wasn't a hitman.
It was Michael,
his former security director.
"Alessandro, don't,"
Michael said,
his voice strained.
"I’m alone."
Alessandro didn't lower the gun.
"Why are you here, Michael?"
"And how did you find me?"
"Claire didn't give me the address,
if that's what you're thinking,"
Michael said,
water dripping from his chin.
"I followed the people who were following you."
"The photographer?"
"He was just the beginning,"
Michael said,
stepping into the light of the foyer.
"There’s a group calling themselves the 'True Rizzanos'."
"They think you’re a traitor to the bloodline."
"They want the assets back,
and they want you to pay for the 'humiliation' you caused the family."
Alessandro finally lowered the gun,
but he didn't put it away.
"The True Rizzanos?"
"It’s mostly the cousins who lost their trust funds,"
Michael explained,
taking off his wet coat.
"But they’ve hired professionals, Alessandro."
"People who don't care about family loyalty."
"They’ve been tracking your movements for months."
Alessandro felt a cold wave of realization.
This wasn't just one enemy.
It was a hydra,
a collection of resentments and greed that had coalesced into a single threat.
"Why tell me this now?"
"Because they’re moving tonight,"
Michael said,
his eyes dark with urgency.
"They didn't want to wait for the debt to be settled."
"They want to take Livia."
The world seemed to tilt on its axis.
Alessandro grabbed Michael by the collar,
his fingers tightening like iron bands.
"If you're lying to me, Michael..."
"I’m not,"
Michael gasped.
"I’ve already neutralized two of them at the end of the road,
but there are more coming from the water."
As if on cue,
the sound of a boat engine rumbled over the noise of the storm.
It was coming from the private beach.
Alessandro didn't waste another second.
He ran to the bedroom,
bursting through the door.
"Rosalie, get Livia,"
he commanded.
"We’re leaving. Now."
"What's happening?"
she cried,
scrambling to get the child out of bed.
"The ocean isn't just grumpy, Rosalie,"
Alessandro said,
his voice hard.
"It’s rising."
He looked at Livia,
who was rubbing her eyes,
confused and frightened by the sudden noise.
"It’s okay, sweetheart,"
he said,
his voice softening for a split second.
"We’re just going on a little trip."
He knew that the peace was officially over.
The war he had tried to escape had found him,
and this time,
there would be no lawyers and no restructuring.
There would only be the Rizzano way.
