Chapter 2 - The Blood in the Tea
Within twenty minutes, the Moretti mansion transitioned from an emergency medical site into an impenetrable steel vault.
Heavy iron security gates slammed shut at the end of the two-mile estate driveway. Surrounding the perimeter, thirty men in dark coats carrying submachine guns took positions behind every fountain, hedge, and stone pillar. Nobody came in. Nobody went out.
Inside the master suite, Dr. Reynolds had successfully stabilized Adrian using a broad-spectrum antidote and intravenous fluids. The Don was still unconscious, his breathing heavy and rasping, but his pulse had regained a steady, stubborn rhythm.
Downstairs in the secondary kitchen, the mood was dangerous.
Elena sat at the long stainless-steel prep table, holding Sophia tightly on her lap. The little girl was blissfully unaware of the storm brewing around her, busily coloring a picture of a giant gray dog with a bright yellow crayon.
Beside her chair, sitting like a silent stone sentinel, was Titan.
The beast refused to return to the study. He refused to leave the child’s side. Every time a guard walked past the kitchen door, Titan’s tail would give a single, warning thump against the tile floor, his eyes tracking every movement with absolute possessiveness.
Dante Russo walked into the kitchen, his dark tie loosened, his face pale and drawn tight like drum leather. He held a small clear plastic bag containing the fragments of the shattered crystal glass from Adrian’s study.
"The lab tech in our basement facility ran a quick test on the residue," Dante said quietly, leaning his heavy hands on the table opposite Elena. "Digitalis. Highly concentrated. A few drop more and his heart would have stopped instantly."
Elena tightened her arm around Sophia. "Who gave him that glass?"
"Mrs. Bellini brought his morning tea at 9:45," Dante answered, his eyes cold and dark. "She says she left the tray on his desk and came straight down here to supervise the laundry."
"Mrs. Bellini has worked for the Moretti family for thirty years!" Elena protested gently. "She raised Mr. Moretti after his mother passed!"
"In this line of work, thirty years of loyalty can be bought in thirty seconds if you find the right leverage," Dante replied grimly. "Her nephew in Chicago accumulated a two-million-dollar gambling debt with the Lucchese family last week. Guess who paid it off three days ago?"
Elena gasped, covering her mouth.
Before she could speak, the kitchen doors swung open with a violent thud.
Vincent Moretti—Adrian’s younger cousin and the head of the family’s port operations—strode into the room. Vincent was ten years younger than Adrian, sharp-featured, wearing a three-piece Italian suit that looked too pristine for a house under lockdown. Behind him walked two heavy-set enforcers from the docks.
"Dante!" Vincent demanded, his voice echoing off the stainless steel appliances. "What is this nonsense about a lockdown? I have three cargo ships waiting at Pier 42 that need my personal sign-off! Release the gates!"
"The Don was poisoned, Vincent," Dante said, not moving an inch. "Until he opens his eyes and tells me otherwise, this house is on complete red alert. Nobody leaves. Not even you."
Vincent’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Are you taking authority over a Moretti, Dante? You’re a hired gun. A guard dog."
"I am the head of security appointed by Adrian himself," Dante said calmly, resting his hand casually on his belt. "And my instructions for a bio-hazard or poison attempt are absolute."
Vincent sneered, his gaze sweeping across the room until it landed on Elena, Sophia, and the giant dog sitting at their feet.
"And why is this domestic staff still here?" Vincent spat, pointing a manicured finger at Elena. "She was upstairs when it happened. Her and her bastard child. How do we know she wasn't the one who slipped something into the tea while dusting the study?"
Titan’s head snapped up.
A low, lethal vibration shook the dog’s chest. He didn't rise, but his lips curled back just far enough to reveal four inches of deadly white canine teeth directed straight at Vincent’s ankles.
Vincent instinctively took two steps back, his face flushing with embarrassment. "Get that damn beast out of here! Put it down! It's a hazard!"
"That beast just saved your cousin’s life by keeping everyone out of the room until Dr. Reynolds arrived," Dante said coldly. "And more importantly, Titan seems to like Mrs. Castillo. Right now, in this house, Titan’s judgment of character is a lot more reliable than yours, Vincent."
Vincent clicked his tongue, his eyes darting toward the tiny girl who was looking up at him with innocent, wide eyes.
"This is ridiculous," Vincent muttered, adjusting his cuffs. "If Adrian dies, the family council meets at midnight. I will be taking over regional operations. And the first thing I’m going to do is clean out this house—starting with the loyal dogs and the maids who don't know their place."
Vincent turned on his heel and marched out of the kitchen, his enforcers trailing behind him like dark shadows.
Dante watched him leave, his expression darkening further.
He turned back to Elena. "He’s going to make a move tonight. If Adrian doesn't wake up before the council meeting, Vincent will claim the chair by default. And if he takes the chair, Mrs. Bellini won't be the only one disappearing into the river."
Elena looked down at Sophia, who was happily leaning her cheek against Titan’s massive, warm flank.
May you like
"We need to get Mr. Moretti to speak," Elena whispered. "There has to be a way to revive him fully."
"Reynolds is doing everything he can," Dante said softly. "But until then, Elena... you and your daughter aren't leaving this house. Not for your safety, but because you two are currently the only thing keeping that dog from tearing this estate apart from the inside out."
