Chapter 5 - THE RESTAURANT ON BELMONT
The armored SUV screeched to a halt half a block from my mother’s restaurant. I stared at the birth certificate in my trembling hands, my mind spinning violently. Marco. The quiet, exhausted restaurant manager who had just stood in front of thirty-two guests and taken Vanessa’s abuse. He was Leo’s father. “Does Marco know?” I whispered. “No,” Luca said grimly. “Vanessa hid the pregnancy twelve years ago. But Dominic found out. He isn't blackmailing Vanessa for money. He’s blackmailing her to keep her secret from me.” “But why target my mother’s restaurant?” “Because Dominic owns the debt on your mother’s place. He wants the property. He used Vanessa to frame Marco tonight, knowing I would fire Marco. Without Marco’s protection, Dominic sweeps in and takes over the supply routes.” It was a web of greed, and my family was caught right in the middle. I looked out the tinted window. The neon "OPEN" sign of my mother's restaurant was flickering in the rain. Standing under the awning was Dominic Vane. He was tall, wearing a leather jacket, smoking a cigarette. By his side stood the little boy, Leo, looking terrified and shivering in the damp cold. “Wait here,” Luca commanded. He stepped out of the SUV. Four massive men in dark suits stepped out of the trailing vehicles, falling silently into step behind him. I watched through the glass. Dominic smiled when he saw Luca approaching. He dropped his cigarette and crushed it under his boot. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I saw the arrogance in Dominic’s posture. He thought he had the upper hand. He pointed at the boy, then pointed at the restaurant. My mother was inside. I couldn't sit there. I pushed the SUV door open and ran into the rain. “Emma!” one of the bodyguards hissed, but I ignored him. I sprinted toward the awning. “Mom!” I screamed. Dominic turned, his cruel eyes locking onto me. “Ah, the little maid,” Dominic sneered in Italian. “Hai portato i soldi?” (Did you bring the money?) I ignored him and rushed to the glass door, but it was locked from the outside with a heavy padlock. “Where is she?” I demanded. Dominic smiled. “She’s in the kitchen. Safe. For now. But if Moretti here doesn't sign over the Belmont territory, the gas lines in that kitchen might accidentally ignite.” Luca didn't flinch. “You are a dead man, Dominic.” “Maybe,” Dominic laughed. “But I have the kid. And I have the deed to the maid’s restaurant. Marco is ruined. Vanessa is mine. You lost, Luca.” “I don't lose,” Luca said softly. He looked at me. “Emma. Does your mother keep the spare key to the alley door under the loose brick?” I blinked in shock. “How do you know that?” Luca didn't answer. He just looked at the little boy. “Leo,” Luca said gently. “Come here.” Dominic grabbed the boy’s shoulder roughly. “He stays with me.” Suddenly, the headlights of a car roared down the alleyway beside the restaurant. The car slammed on its brakes, skidding on the wet pavement. The driver’s side door flew open. It was Marco. He stepped out into the rain, holding a heavy iron tire iron. His eyes locked onto the little boy. “Let go of my son,” Marco roared.
