Chapter 6 - The Bloodline
Leah dropped the photograph as if it had physically burned her fingers.
“No, that is impossible,” she stammered, backing away from the metal box.
“My father was a hero, he died in the line of duty protecting this city!”
Gabriel picked up the photograph, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked like it might shatter.
“The man in this picture is Victor Falcone, the ruthless boss of the west side,” Gabriel said coldly.
“If he raised you, then you are a Falcone, the sworn enemy of my entire bloodline.”
In a fraction of a second, Gabriel raised his pistol and pointed it directly at the center of Leah’s chest.
“Did your family send you to the canal tonight to set me up?” he demanded, his finger resting heavily on the trigger.
Leah stared down the barrel of the gun, tears of profound betrayal blurring her vision.
“I am an emergency room nurse, Gabriel, I don’t know anything about the mafia!” she screamed.
“My father was a good man, he adopted me when I was a baby!”
Gabriel did not lower the weapon, his dark eyes searching her face for any trace of a lie.
“Open the journal,” Gabriel ordered, gesturing with the barrel of the gun.
Leah slowly reached into the metal box with trembling hands and pulled out the leather-bound book.
She flipped to the very first page and recognized her father’s neat, blocky handwriting.
“This is a ledger,” Leah whispered, reading the long columns of names and massive dollar amounts.
“It is a list of every single corrupt politician, judge, and police chief on the Falcone payroll for the last twenty years.”
Gabriel finally lowered his weapon, the realization washing over his exhausted face.
“My grandfather didn’t bury the key to hide his own secrets,” Gabriel muttered in awe.
“He buried the key to hold the ultimate leverage over the Falcone family.”
Leah closed the journal and held it tightly against her chest.
“If my father was Victor Falcone, then who killed him?” she asked softly.
Gabriel looked at her with a profound, terrifying sadness in his eyes.
“I did,” Gabriel confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.
“He murdered my father, so I ended his reign ten years ago when I was just a kid.”
Leah felt the entire world spin around her, the man who saved her life tonight was the man who had destroyed it a decade ago.
Before she could process the horrifying truth, Gabriel’s burner phone vibrated aggressively in his pocket.
He answered it and put it on speakerphone, his face turning entirely pale.
“Hello, Gabriel,” a smooth, chilling voice echoed from the tiny speaker.
“I hope you enjoyed the little distraction at your mansion tonight.”
Gabriel gripped the edge of the metal table.
“Where is my grandmother, Silvio?” Gabriel growled, recognizing the voice of his own treacherous security chief.
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“I have her in a very secure location, boss,” Silvio laughed cruelly.
“Bring the ledger to Pier 47 in exactly one hour, or I will throw Cecilia into the lake wearing concrete shoes.”
