Chapter 3 - The Third Floor Safehouse
By 5:00 AM, the third floor of the Moretti estate felt less like a luxury residence and more like a high-security military command post.
The family wing was built like a fortress within a fortress. Reinforcing the outer stone walls were six-inch steel-lined doors, bulletproof glass windows, and an independent air-filtration system designed to protect against chemical hazards.
Anna sat on the edge of a king-sized canopy bed in Suite 304, watching Lily sleep under a heavy cashmere blanket. The room was grand—decorated in soft cream tones, with antique mahogany furniture and a crackling marble fireplace—but to Anna, it felt like a golden cage.
A soft knock sounded at the adjoining door.
Anna stood up nervously. "Who is it?"
"It’s Ethan," a small voice answered from the other side.
Anna unlocked the connecting door. Eight-year-old Ethan Moretti stood in the doorway, wearing plaid pajamas and carrying a small, worn plush bear. His pale face bore dark circles under his eyes, but his expression was remarkably composed for a boy who had narrowly escaped assassination hours earlier.
"Hi, Ms. Anna," Ethan said politely. "Is Lily awake?"
"She's sleeping, Ethan," Anna said softly, stepping aside to let him in. "How are you feeling? Did Dr. Harris check on you?"
"Dr. Harris gave me some tea to help me sleep, but I couldn't," Ethan said, walking over to the side of the bed and looking down at Lily’s small, sleeping form. He stayed there for a long moment, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest.
"My dad told me what she did," Ethan murmured, his young voice suddenly heavy with emotion. "He said she ran across the whole room and knocked the plate away."
"She was very brave," Anna said, sitting down beside him.
Ethan looked up at Anna. "Ms. Anna? Why would someone want to put poison in my cake? I don't even know the people who made it."
Anna’s heart broke for the boy. Behind the private tutors, the designer clothes, and the mansion walls, Ethan was just a lonely child who missed his late mother and barely saw his busy father.
"Sometimes, Ethan, grown-ups do bad things because they are angry or greedy," Anna explained gently, putting an arm around his shoulders. "It has nothing to do with you. You didn't do anything wrong."
"My dad is really mad," Ethan whispered. "I heard him talking to Marco in the hallway. He said he’s going to 'burn Brooklyn to the ground.' What does that mean?"
Anna stiffened. She knew exactly what it meant. Dominic Moretti was preparing for war.
"It just means your dad is going to make sure no one can ever hurt you again," Anna lied softly, pulling Ethan closer. "Don't worry about grown-up things. You're safe here."
The main suite door opened quietly, and Dominic stepped inside. He had changed into a dark charcoal suit, crisp and spotless, though his tired eyes gave away his lack of sleep. Seeing his son sitting with Anna, he paused in the doorway.
"Ethan," Dominic said gently. "You should be resting in your room."
"I wanted to see Lily," Ethan replied, standing up straight. "And I wanted to say thank you."
Dominic walked over, placing a large, warm hand on Ethan’s head. "You can thank her properly when she wakes up. Go back to your room now. Guard Frank is right outside your door."
Ethan nodded dutifully, hugged Anna briefly, and slipped back through the connecting door.
Once the door clicked shut, Dominic turned to Anna.
"I’ve spoken with the technical team," Dominic said, walking toward the fireplace and stoking the dying embers. "The burner phone that sent you those messages was activated three days ago at a convenience store two miles from here. Cash purchase. No clear security camera footage of the buyer."
"So we have nothing?" Anna asked, frustration leaking into her voice.
"We have Lily’s description," Dominic said. "A blue crow tattoo on the neck. That narrows it down significantly."
"To whom?"
"Salvatore 'The Crow' Valenti," Dominic said calmly, as if discussing the weather. "Underboss of the Brooklyn Valenti faction. Salvatore has used that emblem since he was a street enforcer twenty years ago. His men wear it as a mark of loyalty."
"If you know who it is, why aren't the police involved?" Anna blurted out.
Dominic gave her a cold, almost pitying look. "Anna, the police in Westchester County do not handle matters involving the Valenti family. If I call the authorities, this turns into a two-year investigation filled with leaked evidence, paid-off judges, and endless delays. Meanwhile, Salvatore gets to send another hitter to finish the job."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I’m going to handle it myself," Dominic said plainly. "In three hours, I’m meeting with old man Valenti—Salvatore’s father—at a neutral location in Manhattan. I’m going to lay Lily’s statement on the table and demand Salvatore’s head."
"And if he refuses?"
"Then there won't be a Valenti family by the end of the week."
Anna stared at him, chilled by the absolute certainty in his voice. This was the man behind the polite employer she had worked for over six years. Dominic Moretti was a king in an underworld built on blood and retribution.
"Dominic," Anna said stepping closer to him, her voice trembling slightly. "What about us? What happens to Lily if you start a war?"
Dominic looked down at her. For a moment, the cold mob boss vanished, replaced by something dark, intense, and deeply personal. He reached out, his long fingers gently brushing a stray lock of hair away from Anna’s cheek. Anna caught her breath, surprised by the electric jolt that ran through her at his touch.
"Nothing happens to you," Dominic promised softly, his thumb lingering near her jaw. "Because while I am in Manhattan, fifty of my best men will be surrounding this estate. Nobody enters. Nobody leaves. You and Lily are under my personal umbrella now, Anna."
"I don't belong in your world, Dominic," she whispered, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
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"You saved my son," Dominic said, his voice dropping to a gravelly murmur. "In my world, that makes you family. And Morettis protect their family to the death."
He withdrew his hand, turned on his heel, and walked out of the suite, leaving Anna standing by the fire, her heart racing for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.
