Chapter 10 - The Unfinished Debt
The hospital room was quiet, save for the rhythmic beeping of Jack’s heart monitor.
It had been three days since the shootout. The news in Chicago had exploded with the arrest of Vincent Rossi. Dominic had used his political connections to secure immunity for Jack in exchange for his testimony against the Rossi syndicate.
Jack was going to be free.
Elena sat beside his bed, her head resting on his uninjured shoulder. Leo was asleep on the small sofa in the corner, clutching a teddy bear I had bought him from the gift shop.
I stood in the doorway holding a cup of bad hospital coffee, watching them. The deep, aching cavity in my chest that had been empty for four years was finally full.
“They look good together,” a voice said beside me.
I turned. Dominic stood there, wearing a fresh suit, though he looked like he hadn't slept in a week.
“They do,” I agreed softly.
I looked at my husband. The anger I had felt was gone, replaced by a complicated exhaustion. “Is it really over, Dominic? Are we safe?”
Dominic looked down at his hands. “Vincent is in federal lockup. His captains are scattering. Yes. The family is safe.”
He didn't sound victorious.
“But?” I asked, knowing him too well.
Dominic reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet jewelry box. He handed it to me.
I opened it. Inside was Sophia’s diamond necklace. The one Dominic had bought her for their anniversary.
“She left the hospital this morning against medical advice,” Dominic said quietly. “She left this on the nightstand.”
“Where did she go?”
“She’s running,” Dominic sighed. “She knows she’s a liability. She helped me cover up Jack’s defection, and she helped Vincent track Jack to the house. Both sides want her dead.”
I closed the box. I didn't care about Sophia anymore. She had made her choices.
“Let her run,” I said. “It’s not our problem anymore.”
“Rose,” Dominic said, his voice dropping. “There’s something else.”
I braced myself. “What?”
“Vincent made a phone call from lockup last night. The feds intercepted it. He didn't call his lawyers.” Dominic looked me directly in the eyes. “He called the Chicago Outfit. The Commission.”
My blood ran cold. The Commission was the ruling body of all the syndicates. Even Dominic answered to them.
“Vincent told them I used an explosive device in a residential neighborhood. He told them I brought police to our doorstep. I broke the code, Rose.”
The reversal was chilling. The victory over Vincent wasn't a victory; it was a death sentence from the higher-ups.
“What does that mean?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“It means the Commission wants a meeting,” Dominic said. “Tonight.”
He turned to look at Jack and Elena one last time.
“I have to go pay the toll.”
Before I could stop him, Dominic turned and walked down the sterile hospital corridor.
May you like
I looked back at my son, peacefully sleeping, unaware that his father was walking into his own execution to pay for our freedom.
I looked at Sophia’s necklace in my hand. And I knew exactly what I had to do.
