Chapter 27
The interior of the safe house smelled of dust and old oil,
Fluorescent lights flickered to life, humming with a nervous energy,
Alessandro set Livia down on a faded velvet sofa,
She looked tiny in the vastness of the industrial space,
Rosalie immediately began looking for blankets and water,
Her domestic instincts were her way of fighting the darkness,
Michael stood by the monitors, checking the perimeter feeds,
The screens showed a gray world of asphalt and shadows,
"Claire is ten minutes away," Michael announced,
Alessandro didn't respond, he was staring at his own reflection,
A cracked mirror on the wall showed a face he barely recognized,
There was mud on his cheek and a coldness in his eyes that frightened him,
He had spent a year trying to wash the Rizzano out of his skin,
But the stains were deeper than he had imagined,
He heard the sound of a car approaching the outer gate,
A few moments later, Claire walked in, her heels clicking on the floor,
She looked as composed as ever, but her eyes were red with fatigue,
She carried a laptop and a stack of files that smelled of ink,
"Bianca is in surgery," Claire said without preamble,
"The police are at the hospital, but they’re waiting for my signal,"
"What about the cousins?" Alessandro asked, his voice flat,
"Vittorio’s sons have gone underground, but their money is moving,"
"They’ve hired a private security firm out of Eastern Europe,"
"Men who don't care about family names or coastal cottages,"
Alessandro sat at a metal table, the surface cold against his arms,
"I want their accounts frozen by dawn, Claire,"
"I want every asset they think they own to vanish,"
"If they want to play the old game, I will take their toys away,"
Claire opened her laptop, the glow illuminating her sharp features,
"It will trigger a massive investigation, Alessandro,"
"The auditors will see things we tried to bury,"
"Let them see," Alessandro said, a dark smile playing on his lips,
"I have nothing left to hide, and they have everything to lose,"
Livia had fallen asleep on the sofa, her head in Rosalie’s lap,
Rosalie was stroking the child’s hair, her eyes fixed on Alessandro,
She saw the calculations happening behind his eyes,
The way he was moving pieces on a board she couldn't see,
"You're going to kill them, aren't you?" Rosalie asked softly,
The question hung in the air, heavy and jagged,
"I am going to stop them, Rosalie," Alessandro replied,
"There is a difference between justice and survival,"
"Is there?" she challenged, her voice trembling but firm,
"In this family, it seems they are the same thing,"
Alessandro looked away, unable to meet her gaze,
He knew she was right, and he hated her for it,
He wanted to be the man she saw at the beach,
The man who could spend an afternoon looking for shells,
But that man was a luxury he could no longer afford,
He turned back to Claire, who was typing furiously,
"I want the location of their primary safe house,"
"I know Vittorio has a hunting lodge in the northern woods,"
"Check the power consumption and the cellular pings,"
"If they are hiding, they are hiding there,"
Claire nodded, her fingers dancing across the keys,
"I have a hit," she said after a few moments of silence,
"Six encrypted devices active at the lodge since midnight,"
"And a transport vehicle registered to a shell company,"
Alessandro stood up, the chair scraping harshly against the floor,
"Michael, get the gear ready,"
"We aren't waiting for them to come to us,"
"We are going to end this where the Rizzanos began,"
"In the dark, and in the cold,"
He walked over to the sofa and knelt beside Livia,
He kissed her forehead, the scent of her shampoo a bittersweet memory,
"Take care of her, Rosalie," he whispered,
"If I don't come back, Claire has the documents for the trust,"
"You take her to Switzerland, and you never look back,"
Rosalie grabbed his hand, her grip surprisingly strong,
"Come back, Alessandro," she pleaded,
"Don't let them take the man you worked so hard to become,"
He looked at her, and for a second, the mask slipped,
"That man is waiting for me on the other side of this," he said,
"But I have to clear the path first."
