Chapter 9 - THE THREE BLUE STARS
Vincenzo raised the silver revolver, aiming it directly at the windshield of the SUV. A cruel smile stretched across his weathered face.
My hands gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. I could throw the car in reverse. I could try to run him over. But the tires were slipping in the icy mud, and at this range, a bullet would shatter the glass and hit whoever was in the front seat.
“Mommy,” Sophie whimpered from the back, clinging to Isabella’s ragged shirt.
Isabella wrapped her arms around her daughter, sobbing uncontrollably. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.”
Vincenzo cocked the hammer of the revolver.
Suddenly, a massive shadow dropped from the branches of the oak tree directly above Vincenzo.
It was Dominic.
He landed heavily on his father’s back, driving the old man into the snow. The revolver fired wildly into the air, the sound echoing like a cannon blast through the mountains.
Vincenzo let out a breathless grunt as Dominic pinned his arms behind his back, pressing his face into the icy slush.
Dominic didn't hit him. He didn't shoot him. He just held the old man down until the sirens began to wail in the distance. Dozens of them.
I slumped against the steering wheel, exhaling a breath I felt like I had been holding for six weeks.
Before we left the mansion, while Dominic was questioning Marco, I had used the kitchen phone to call the FBI organized crime task force. I had given them Marco’s coordinates and told them Vincenzo Moretti was alive. I hadn't known if they would believe a housekeeper, but they had come.
Red and blue lights flooded the dark woods as a convoy of tactical vehicles swarmed the area. Heavily armed agents poured out, surrounding Vincenzo and his men in the trees.
Dominic slowly stood up, raising his hands in surrender as the agents approached. He looked back at the SUV, directly into my eyes, and nodded. A nod of profound, eternal gratitude.
Two Months Later
The ocean breeze was warm against my face.
I stood on the deck of a beautiful beach house in coastal Italy, holding a mug of coffee. The sun was just beginning to set over the Mediterranean, painting the sky in vibrant shades of pink and gold.
“Rebecca!” a cheerful voice called out.
I turned around. Sophie was running across the wooden deck, carrying a small canvas. She was wearing a bright yellow sundress. She looked healthy, happy, and light. She looked like a normal eight-year-old girl.
“Look what I painted!” she beamed, holding up the canvas.
It was a painting of a house by the ocean. In the yard were three stick figures. A man, a woman, and a little girl. And in the sky above them were three bright blue stars.
I smiled, feeling tears prick my eyes. “It’s beautiful, sweetie.”
Isabella walked out onto the deck, carrying a tray of lemonade. She looked completely different from the broken, terrified woman in the snow. Her hair was growing back, her cheeks had color, and she carried herself with a quiet dignity.
She set the tray down and pulled Sophie into a tight hug. “Go wash up for dinner, piccolina. Daddy’s grilling.”
Sophie giggled and ran inside.
Isabella walked over to me, leaning against the wooden railing. “Dominic just got off the phone with the lawyers. The plea deal was finalized. He’s fully cooperating with the feds to dismantle his father’s syndicate. He won’t serve any time, but we can never go back to New York.”
“Do you want to?” I asked softly.
Isabella looked out at the ocean, a peaceful smile on her face. “Never. We have everything we need right here.”
She reached out and squeezed my hand. “Thank you, Rebecca. For saving my daughter. For saving my family. You didn't have to stay.”
I looked back inside the house. Dominic was in the kitchen, laughing as Sophie tried to help him chop vegetables. The heavy burden of his father’s legacy was completely gone from his eyes. He was just a father now.
“I didn't stay because I was your housekeeper,” I said, smiling at the three blue stars in Sophie’s painting. “I stayed because family protects family.”
Isabella pulled me into a hug.
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As the sun dipped below the horizon, I realized that for the first time in my forty-two years, I wasn't invisible anymore. I was exactly where I was meant to be.
TITLE: "THE ENVELOPE WITH NO RETURN ADDRESS"
