Chapter 8 - The Hostage Exchange
Sister Maria wept silently, her hands bound tightly with thick plastic ties.
Sofia could not let the only mother figure she had ever known die because of a mafia war.
Let her go, Victor.
Sofia stepped out from behind the stone pillar, raising her hands in surrender.
I will go with you, just please do not hurt her.
Riccardo grabbed Sofia's arm, trying to pull her back into the safety of the cover.
You cannot trust him, he will kill you both the second you walk out those doors.
Riccardo whispered urgently.
Sofia looked into Riccardo's eyes, seeing genuine, desperate care in the gaze of a man she had met only hours ago.
I have to save her.
Sofia pulled her arm free and walked slowly toward the man claiming to be her father.
Victor smiled triumphantly and shoved Sister Maria violently to the floor.
He grabbed Sofia by the hair and dragged her out to his waiting armored convoy.
The vehicles sped away into the night, leaving Riccardo's compound burning in the distance.
They drove for hours until they reached a sprawling, heavily guarded estate hidden deep in the forest.
Victor dragged Sofia out of the car and threw her into a lavishly decorated bedroom.
You will stay locked in here until you learn how to behave like a true Falcone.
Victor snarled, locking the heavy mahogany door from the outside.
Sofia paced the room, desperately looking for any possible way to escape.
She noticed a small, hidden ventilation grate near the baseboard behind a large bookshelf.
She used the heavy base of a brass lamp to smash the grate open and crawled inside.
The dusty air shaft led her through the walls of the massive estate.
She peered through a vent cover into a sterile, brightly lit room that looked exactly like a hospital room.
Sitting on a white bed in the center of the room was a woman who looked exactly like Sofia.
The woman was drawing quietly in a sketchbook, wearing a gold bracelet with the name Chiara on it.
May you like
Sofia realized with absolute terror that the sick girl from the orphanage had not died in the fire.
Victor had kept the real Chiara alive as the ultimate bargaining chip against Riccardo.
