Chapter 4 - The Mother's Return
An hour later,
the atmosphere inside the small Carter house had completely transformed.
Portable electric heaters hummed quietly in the corners,
filling the rooms with comfortable,
soothing heat.
The kitchen counters were stacked high with fresh fruit,
bread,
meats,
cheeses,
and boxes of food that could last for months.
Noah was fast asleep in his crib,
his belly full,
wrapped in a brand-new,
ultra-soft wool blanket that Lorenzo’s men had brought inside.
Emily sat at the table,
finishing a bowl of hot chicken soup,
feeling warmer than she had in years.
Lorenzo sat across from her,
silently reading through a stack of documents Dante had handed him regarding the family's financial debts.
Suddenly,
the heavy crunch of footsteps on snow echoed from outside,
followed by the sound of a key rattling frantically in the front door lock.
The door burst open,
and Sarah Carter rushed into the foyer,
her face pale with terror.
She had seen the dark luxury cars parked outside and the large men standing guard on the porch.
"Emily!"
Sarah screamed,
dropping her worn handbag on the floor as she rushed into the kitchen.
"Emily,
where are you?!"
She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her daughter sitting safely at the table,
and then her eyes locked onto Lorenzo Moretti.
Sarah’s breath hitched in her throat.
Living in Detroit,
she might not have known Lorenzo’s face personally,
but she recognized the sheer power and authority radiating from the man sitting in her humble kitchen.
"Who are you?"
Sarah demanded,
stepping defensively between Lorenzo and her daughter,
her chest heaving with exertion and fear.
"What are you doing in my house?"
"Mom,
wait!"
Emily pleaded,
standing up quickly.
"He helped us!"
"I... I texted the wrong number because we had no milk,"
"and he brought food and heaters!"
Sarah blinked,
confused,
her eyes darting between Emily,
the mountains of groceries on the counter,
and the dark-suited man rising slowly to his feet.
Lorenzo stood at his full height,
towering over Sarah,
yet he kept his hands visible and his posture relaxed.
"Mrs. Carter,"
Lorenzo said respectfully,
inclining his head slightly.
"I apologize for the intrusion into your home."
"Your daughter is remarkably brave,"
"and she was trying to care for her brother when you were working."
Sarah’s eyes filled with sudden tears of shame and exhaustion.
She collapsed slightly against the kitchen counter,
covering her face with her rough,
work-worn hands.
"I'm sorry,"
Sarah sobbed softly,
her voice trembling.
"I try so hard..."
"I work sixteen hours a day,"
"but it's never enough."
"The rent,"
"the electricity,"
"the loan..."
Lorenzo stepped closer,
his sharp eyes noticing something as Sarah moved her arm.
The sleeve of her thin jacket rode up,
revealing deep,
purplish bruises encircling her right wrist.
Lorenzo’s dark eyes hardened instantly into ice.
"Who gave you those bruises,"
Sarah?"
Lorenzo asked,
his voice dropping an octave,
sounding like a low roll of distant thunder.
Sarah pulled her sleeve down frantically,
her face flushing red with embarrassment and fear.
"It's nothing,"
she whispered,
looking away.
"Just... just a misunderstanding with the landlord's men."
"That wasn't a landlord,"
Dante chimed in quietly from the doorway.
"Our sources confirm it was Victor Vane's enforcers."
"He's been charging her eighty percent interest on a three-thousand-dollar debt."
Lorenzo turned his head slightly toward Dante,
a dangerous smile touching the corner of his lips.
"Victor Vane,"
Lorenzo repeated softly,
May you like
as if tasting the name and finding it putrid.
"He thinks he can put his hands on a working mother in my city?"
