Chapter 4 - Moving the Pawns
Allessandro walked back up the hidden staircase and stepped onto the warm, sunlit main floor of the estate.
The sprawling house was completely silent now, but the very air inside the luxurious rooms felt incredibly heavy with impending danger.
He walked toward the servant's quarters and found Maria, his head maid and Emma's mother, standing nervously near the kitchen island.
She was frantically wringing her white apron in her calloused hands, her eyes wide with a very real, paralyzing terror.
"Mr. Romano," she stammered the moment he entered the kitchen, dropping her gaze to the floor.
"I am so deeply and truly sorry, sir, for the disruption this morning."
"Emma told me everything that happened in the dining room, and I swear I did not put her up to it."
Allessandro held up a firm hand to instantly cut off her panicked stream of apologies.
"Your brave little daughter is a hero today, Maria," he said firmly, stepping closer to the frightened woman.
"But because she spoke the truth, this house is no longer a safe environment for either of you."
Maria gasped sharply, taking a full step back as if she had just been physically struck across the face.
"Are you firing me from my position, sir?" she asked, her voice trembling as tears threatened to spill.
"Where on earth will we go without this income and this roof over our heads?"
"I am definitely not firing you, Maria," Allessandro corrected her, his tone softening just a fraction.
"I am taking the necessary steps to protect you and your child from the monsters coming to my door."
He pulled out his encrypted, burner cell phone and quickly dialed a highly secure number known only to his inner circle.
"The Moretti family has unfortunately compromised my inner circle of trust," he explained while waiting for the call to connect on the other end.
"If those butchers find out that little Emma ruined their perfect assassination plan, they will violently murder both of you without a second of hesitation."
Exactly five minutes later, a heavily armored, dark SUV pulled up to the back door of the kitchen.
Allessandro reached into his jacket pocket and handed Maria a thick, heavy envelope filled with untraceable cash.
"My most trusted men will drive you immediately to a highly fortified safe house in upstate New York," he instructed her.
"You will stay hidden there with plenty of food and security until I send word that the streets of this city are clean again."
Maria took the envelope with visibly shaking hands, completely overwhelmed by the mafia boss's unexpected mercy.
Emma suddenly ran into the kitchen from the hallway and hugged Allessandro's leg as tightly as her small arms could manage.
He reached down with a gentle hand and affectionately patted her soft hair one last time.
"Keep Rosie the doll safe for me, little one," he told the girl with a rare, genuine smile.
He stood in the doorway and watched the black SUV drive away, ensuring they made it completely out of the iron security gates safely.
When he finally turned back around and walked into the hallway, Carlo was waiting silently by the grandfather clock.
"The maid and her little girl are gone and off the grid," Carlo noted, his face carved from stone.
"What is our exact next tactical move, boss?"
Allessandro walked into his private, wood-paneled study and poured himself a generous glass of rare, aged whiskey.
"We are going to give the Morettis exactly what they want to see," Allessandro said, taking a slow, burning sip of the amber liquid.
Carlo furrowed his brow, looking genuinely confused by the suicidal statement.
"You actually want to lay down and die for these Boston scumbags?" the massive enforcer asked.
"No," Allessandro smiled, a dark, terrifying expression that promised absolute violence.
"I want them to deeply believe that I am already dead."
He set the crystal glass down firmly on his polished mahogany desk.
"Go down to the basement and bring Isabella her personal cell phone."
"Tell her to send an urgent text message directly to her Moretti handler."
"Tell them the poison worked perfectly, I collapsed at breakfast, and the entire estate is in a panic."
Carlo grinned widely, finally understanding the brilliance of the bloody plan.
"They will definitely come in person to verify the kill and claim the throne," Carlo realized out loud.
May you like
"Exactly," Allessandro agreed, his eyes flashing with lethal anticipation.
"And we will be waiting right here in the dark to welcome them to hell."
