Chương 10 - The False Victory
Tommy lowered his weapon, adjusting his cheap diner uniform as if nothing had happened.
Salvatore Moretti stared in absolute horror as federal sirens suddenly wailed in the distance.
A dozen heavily armed tactical teams swarmed the docks, completely surrounding the yacht.
"FBI! Drop your weapons!" a voice boomed over a loudspeaker.
Salvatore dropped his gun, raising his hands in defeat.
Tommy walked casually over to us, flashing a genuine FBI badge from his pocket.
"You are an agent?" I gasped, completely entirely bewildered.
"Undercover for three years, Clare," Tommy smiled kindly.
"The diner explosion was a controlled blast to fake my death and extract me before the raid."
Tommy handed the black leather ledger back to Dante.
"The Bureau does not need this, Caruso," Tommy said quietly.
"We have enough evidence to put the Morettis away for life."
"This city belongs to you now."
Tommy turned to me, his expression entirely sincere.
"You are free, Clare."
"The debt is gone, the Morettis are gone, and you can walk away right now."
Dante looked at me, his dark hair plastered to his forehead, his suit ruined.
"You do not owe me anything anymore, Clare," Dante said softly.
"You can leave, and I will never bother you again."
I looked at the man who had kidnapped me, protected me, and almost died for me.
I did not want to leave.
I stepped forward and threw my arms around his neck, burying my face in his chest.
He wrapped his good arm tightly around my waist, burying his face in my damp hair.
We had won.
The nightmare was finally over, and the empire was entirely his.
Later that night, I was sitting alone in the master bedroom of the penthouse.
Dante was asleep in the next room, completely exhausted from his injuries.
The black leather ledger was sitting on the nightstand.
I could not resist my curiosity, so I gently opened the book to look at my father's handwriting.
I flipped past the financial records and hit a heavily bookmarked page at the end.
It was not a list of money.
It was a medical transfer document signed entirely by Dante Caruso.
My heart stopped completely as I read the final three sentences of the file.
My mother had never died of cancer three years ago.
May you like
Dante had faked her death to torture my father, and the ledger listed the address of the private asylum where she was currently being held captive.
The man sleeping in the next room was not my savior; he was my mother's warden.
