Chapter 6 - The Living Ghost
The safehouse was a modest brick building with peeling paint.
Lorenzo kicked the front door open, his gun raised, clearing the room.
It was empty, save for a worn sofa and a television playing softly.
"Maria!" Sophia called out, her voice echoing in the narrow hallway.
A woman who looked strikingly like Sophia emerged from the back bedroom.
She was holding a small bundle wrapped in a pale pink blanket.
Lorenzo froze in his tracks.
His gun slowly lowered to his side.
The world seemed to spin violently, the floor dropping out from beneath him.
He took a slow, agonizing step forward.
Maria, understanding who this man was, gently held out the bundle.
Lorenzo’s hands shook as he reached for the child.
He pulled back the edge of the pink blanket.
Staring back at him were two enormous, bright chestnut eyes.
Isabella’s eyes.
The baby cooed softly, reaching a tiny, chubby hand up to touch his scruffy jaw.
Lorenzo fell to his knees.
The ruthless mafia boss, the man called Il Silenzioso, broke completely.
Tears streamed down his face, dropping onto the baby’s warm cheek.
"Mia," Lorenzo choked out, using the name he and Isabella had chosen.
He held his daughter against his chest, inhaling the sweet, powdery scent of her.
She was alive.
She was perfect.
For a long moment, the tiny room felt like heaven.
Sophia and Maria watched with tears in their own eyes.
Even Vincenzo, the hardened killer, looked away to wipe a stray tear.
But the beautiful moment was shattered by the sound of tires screeching outside.
"Boss!" Vincenzo shouted from the window.
"We have company."
Lorenzo stood up slowly, cradling Mia in his left arm.
May you like
He looked out the window and saw five black SUVs blockading the street.
Matteo stepped out of the lead vehicle, holding a megaphone.
