Chapter 2 - THE UNLIKELY ALLIANCE
"Dante," Adrian called out. "Put her in the cellar. Keep her there until Luca arrives. If she moves, shoot her."
The cellar was worse than the jail. It was damp, pitch black, and cold. I spent the next twenty-four hours shivering, thinking of Lucia. I had to get out. I began to inspect the room, looking for a loose stone, a vent, anything.
Hours later, the door creaked open. It wasn't Dante. It was a man I hadn't seen before. He was slightly younger than Adrian, with a sharper, more analytical face. Luca Valente.
He walked into the cell, holding a tablet. "I’ve seen the gas station footage, Isabella."
I scrambled to my feet, my chains clinking. "Then you know. You know I’m innocent."
"I know that Karen Mitchell is a snake," he said calmly. "And I know that my brother is currently blinded by a need for blood. If I tell him you’re innocent, he won't believe me—he’ll think I’m trying to protect a spy."
"Then why are you here?"
"Because I want the same thing you want," he said, tapping the screen. "I want to know who really drugged my niece. Karen wouldn't have done it alone. She’s too cowardly. Someone paid her."
"I have a sister," I said, desperation creeping into my voice. "She’s dying. I don't care about your mafia wars. I don't care about your family. I just need to get out of here so I can save her."
Luca looked at me for a long time. "If I help you escape, you disappear. You never come back to Chicago. Do we have an agreement?"
"Yes," I breathed.
"Good. Dante is stationed at the north gate. He’s my man, not Adrian’s. He’ll leave the keys on the hook in the laundry room at 3:00 AM. But there’s a catch. You take the evidence—the files I’ve collected on Karen—to Detective Santos. You don't get to just run away. You have to take them down."
"Why?"
"Because," Luca said, his eyes turning cold, "they hurt my family. That is something I do not forgive."
At 3:00 AM, the house was silent. I navigated the labyrinthine halls, my heart hammering against my ribs. I found the laundry room, grabbed the keys, and slipped into the cool night air. I didn't look back at the mansion. I didn't look back at the dumpster. I ran until my lungs burned.
I reached the police station just as the sun began to rise. I didn't wait for Santos; I pushed my way to her desk and dropped the files. "Karen Mitchell. Paid by the Morettis. She drugged Emma. I have the proof."
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Santos looked up, startled, but as she scanned the documents, her face darkened. "Isabella... you shouldn't be here. Adrian is going to come for you."
"Let him come," I said, a new resolve hardening inside me. "I’m going to save my sister."
