Chapter 9: Reckoning
766 Words
When the past comes knocking, there's nowhere left to run.
The gunshot tore through the morning stillness like a c***k of thunder. Birds scattered from the trees, the echo ringing through the dense forest surrounding the cabin. Dominic reacted instinctively, grabbing Elena and shoving her down behind the couch just as the window exploded in a hail of shattered glass and splintered wood.
"Stay down!" he barked, reaching for his g*n.
Elena's breath came in ragged gasps. The warmth of his body had barely faded from her skin, and now death had come knocking. Again.
Another shot, closer this time. Dominic moved like a predator, pressing himself against the wall, his eyes sharp and calculating. "We need to move. Now."
Elena's hands trembled as she reached for the small knife Dominic had given her the night before. She had never used a weapon before. Not like this. But she wasn’t going to let fear paralyze her.
"Who is it? Moretti?" she whispered.
Dominic didn't answer right away. His jaw clenched as he peered through the shattered window. "Maybe. Or someone worse."
Elena’s POV
Fear clawed at my throat, but I forced it down. I couldn’t afford to be weak now. Not after everything.
We moved through the cabin in a low crouch, Dominic leading the way. Every step felt like an eternity, my heartbeat a deafening drum in my ears.
"There's an escape tunnel," he muttered. "It leads through the basement into the woods. But we have to get there first."
Another shot rang out, this one even closer. A voice followed, rough and taunting.
"Come out, Veronesi! We both know you can't run forever!"
I recognized that voice.
My blood turned to ice.
Dominic looked back at me sharply. "Elena—"
"I know that voice," I whispered, my chest tightening. "That’s—"
Before I could finish, the front door burst open.
Dominic’s POV
He was already aiming before the dust settled.
The man in the doorway smirked. Dark eyes, scarred cheek, the unmistakable arrogance of someone who had killed before and enjoyed it.
"Santino," Dominic growled.
Santino Moretti stepped inside, flanked by two armed men. "You really thought you could hide, cugino? Family always finds family."
"You're not my family," Dominic spat.
Santino tsked. "That hurts, truly. After all, we go way back, don’t we? Our fathers built an empire together. And now you want to burn it all down? Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."
Elena shifted beside me. Santino’s gaze flicked to her, and his smirk widened.
"And this must be the reason you’ve gone soft. Elena Rodriguez. Smart girl. Too smart, really."
My finger tightened on the trigger. "You touch her, you die."
Santino chuckled. "Relax, cousin. I’m not here to kill you. Not yet, anyway. I came to offer you a deal. One that might just save your life."
Elena’s POV
A deal? I didn't trust it. Not for a second.
Dominic didn’t lower his g*n. "I don’t make deals with snakes."
Santino shrugged. "Then you’re a dead man walking. Because the Moretti family has already put a price on both your heads. And, let’s just say, there’s more than one rat in your house."
My stomach dropped. "What do you mean?"
Santino's grin was slow, wicked. "Ask your boss, sweetheart. Ask your dear friend at the bank. Because someone close to you has been feeding us information from the start."
My breath caught. "No. That’s not possible."
Santino sighed dramatically. "Oh, Elena. You’re so naive. That’s why I almost feel bad for what’s coming next. Almost."
Dominic shifted beside me, his body taut like a coiled spring. "What the hell are you planning, Santino?"
Santino’s grin sharpened. "You’ll see soon enough. But for now? I’ll let you run. Just to make the hunt more exciting."
He stepped back, his men following him out the door. But before he disappeared, he turned back one last time.
"Tick tock, Veronesi. The reckoning is coming."
And then he was gone.
The silence left in Santino’s wake was deafening.
Elena turned to Dominic, her pulse racing. "He’s lying. There’s no way someone close to me—"
Dominic didn’t meet her gaze right away. He was already thinking, calculating.
"We can’t trust anyone," he said finally. "Not until we find out who the rat is."
Elena swallowed hard. "And if it’s someone I know? Someone I trust?"
Dominic’s expression was unreadable. "Then you’ll have to decide which side you’re really on."
The weight of his words settled deep in her chest. Because if what Santino said was true…
Then the betrayal was only just beginning.
- Writer
