Chapter 3 - The Hidden Truth
Elena slammed her foot heavily onto the brakes and brought the car to a screeching halt.
"Get out of the vehicle right now," she yelled, throwing her door open.
Rocco grabbed the terrified toddler and sprinted frantically toward the dark tree line.
They threw themselves violently onto the damp earth just as the vintage car exploded into a massive fireball.
The intense heat washed over them, but they were completely safe in the muddy grass.
Rocco held his crying son tightly against his chest to muffle the loud noise.
"Bianca planted that bomb before the gala even started," Elena explained, catching her breath.
Rocco pulled out the encrypted digital drive he had taken from Noah's pocket.
"What exactly is on this drive that makes my ex-fiancée want to murder my child?" Rocco asked.
Elena pulled a small, highly advanced tablet from her tactical jacket and connected the drive.
Her fingers flew across the screen as she rapidly bypassed military-grade encryption codes.
The screen finally illuminated a massive list of offshore bank accounts and genetic testing results.
"Noah is not actually a random orphan you adopted three years ago," Elena revealed softly.
Rocco felt a cold shiver violently run down his spine at her words.
"He is the sole biological heir to the rival Moretti crime syndicate," she continued.
Rocco stared at his innocent son in absolute, unadulterated horror.
"Bianca was secretly hired by the Morettis to find the boy and bring him back," Elena said.
Suddenly, the dark forest around them was illuminated by dozens of bright red laser sights.
May you like
A cold, familiar voice echoed through the tall trees.
"You really should have just let her drop the coats, little brother," Rocco's older sibling, Julian, stepped out of the shadows.
