Chapter 5 - The Reckoning Begins
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly from quiet comfort to palpable tension.
Sarah looked at Lorenzo in sheer terror,
realizing that the man standing before her was far more dangerous than any street thug or loan shark she had ever encountered.
"Please,"
Sarah begged,
clasping her hands together.
"Don't get involved."
"Victor is ruthless."
"If he finds out someone interfered,"
"he'll come back and take everything we have left!"
Lorenzo looked at her,
his expression unreadable,
his dark eyes shining with absolute confidence.
"Victor Vane does not own Detroit,"
Mrs. Carter,"
Lorenzo said coldly.
"I do."
Before Sarah could process his words,
the sound of a loud,
muffled engine echoed from the street outside.
A rusted pickup truck pulled up behind Lorenzo's black SUVs,
blocking the driveway.
Heavy footsteps stomped up the wooden steps of the porch,
followed by a loud,
violent kick against the front door frame.
"Sarah!"
a harsh,
raspy voice bellowed from outside,
echoing through the dark house.
"Open this damn door right now!"
"You're two days late on your payment,"
"and Victor wants his money!"
"If you don't have the cash,"
"we're taking your television and whatever else is worth a dime in there!"
Emily shrank back toward her mother,
her hands trembling again as she remembered the terrifying men who had come to their door last week.
Sarah turned white as a sheet,
her breath coming in quick,
shallow gasps.
"It's them,"
Sarah whispered,
her voice choking with terror.
"It's Victor's men."
Lorenzo did not look panicked;
in fact,
he didn't even look mildly annoyed.
He simply adjusted the cuffs of his dark suit jacket and took a quiet breath.
"Dante,"
Lorenzo said softly,
never taking his eyes off the front hallway.
"How many of them are out there?"
Dante checked a small monitor attached to his wrist.
"Three men,"
Boss."
"Two carrying handguns,"
"one carrying a crowbar."
"Handle it silently,"
Lorenzo ordered.
"Do not wake the baby."
"Understood,"
Dante replied with a cold,
disciplined nod.
Dante walked calmly toward the front entrance,
opening the door before the thug outside could kick it a second time.
The lead thug,
a heavy-set man with a scar running across his chin,
stumbled forward in surprise.
"What the—"
the thug started to shout,
reaching for his waistband.
Before he could pull his weapon,
Dante stepped forward with terrifying speed,
grabbing the man’s throat with one hand and driving a brutal knee directly into his chest.
The thug gasped for air,
his eyes rolling back as Dante dragged him silently out onto the snow-covered porch.
The other two thugs raised their hands in shock,
taking two steps backward as they saw four more armed men in dark suits step out from the shadows of the black SUVs.
Within ten seconds,
without a single gunshot being fired,
all three of Victor Vane's enforcers were pinned face-down in the freezing snow,
disarmed and completely helpless.
Dante walked back into the kitchen,
wiping his hands calmly with a white cloth.
"They are secured,
Boss,"
Dante reported smoothly.
"What are your instructions?"
Lorenzo walked slowly out onto the porch,
his long coat billowing in the cold night wind.
He looked down at the lead thug who was gasping for air on the ice.
Lorenzo stooped down,
grabbing the thug by his collar and pulling him up until their faces were inches apart.
"Tell Victor Vane that Sarah Carter's debt is paid in full,"
Lorenzo whispered,
his voice icy enough to freeze blood.
"Tell him that if he,
or any of his men,"
"ever step foot on Elm Street again,"
"I will tear his entire operation down to the ground."
"Who... who the hell are you?"
the thug managed to choke out,
his body shaking with terror.
Lorenzo smiled faintly,
letting go of the collar so the man slammed back into the snow.
"My name is Lorenzo Moretti,"
he said softly.
"Now get out of my sight."
The three thugs scrambled to their feet like frightened animals,
piling into their rusted truck and speeding away into the blizzard,
leaving deep tracks in the white snow.
Lorenzo turned back toward the warm house,
where Sarah and Emily stood watching from the open doorway in complete disbelief.
"Mrs. Carter,"
Lorenzo said,
stepping back inside and closing the door behind him.
"Tomorrow morning,"
"my men will move you and your children to a secure apartment in the downtown district."
"Your debt is gone,"
"your children are safe,"
"and you will never have to worry about milk or rent again."
Sarah stared at him,
her eyes brimming with tears of gratitude and awe.
"Why... why would a man like you do all this for us?"
she whispered.
Lorenzo looked down at little Emily,
who gave him a faint,
shy smile from behind her mother.
"Because your daughter sent a message,"
May you like
Lorenzo said quietly.
"And when a Carter asks for help,"
