Chapter 5: Enter the mafia
1125 Words
The question echoed in Lucas's mind long after Victor asked it.
Do you want justice... or revenge?
Lucas looked down at the photograph of Marco clenched tightly in his fist. His father's smile flashed through his memories, followed by the image of a coffin disappearing beneath wet earth.
He slowly raised his head.
"I want the people responsible to pay."
Victor studied him for a long moment before giving a slow nod.
"Then walk with me."
He led Lucas out of the office and onto a steel balcony overlooking the warehouse floor.
The conversations below immediately stopped.
Nearly fifty men turned toward them.
Victor stepped forward.
"Listen carefully."
His calm voice filled the warehouse.
"From this day forward, Lucas Moretti stands where his father once stood."
Every man lowered his head.
"Welcome home, Young Master."
The words echoed through the building.
Lucas felt completely out of place.
He wasn't a gangster.
He wasn't a leader.
He was a university student whose biggest concern a week ago had been passing his exams.
Now armed men were bowing before him.
Victor rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"They aren't bowing to who you are today."
"They're bowing to the man you'll become."
Lucas wasn't sure whether those words comforted him or frightened him.
Victor guided him downstairs.
"I want you to meet the people who'll stand beside you."
The first to step forward was a broad-shouldered young man with short black hair and a relaxed smile.
He looked only a few years older than Lucas.
"Ethan Carter," he introduced himself, offering a handshake. "Your father pulled me off the streets when I was sixteen."
Lucas shook his hand.
"He saved my life."
Ethan smiled warmly.
"So if you're anything like him, you've already got my loyalty."
Lucas managed a small smile in return.
The next person walked over carrying a laptop beneath one arm.
His messy hair covered one eye, and he looked far more interested in his computer than the crowd around him.
"Nico Alvarez."
He barely looked up.
"I handle surveillance, hacking, communications... basically anything involving technology."
Victor chuckled.
"He rarely leaves his computer."
"I heard that," Nico muttered.
A third man approached.
Tall.
Athletic.
His sharp eyes constantly scanned the room.
"Adrian Hayes."
Unlike Ethan, he didn't smile.
"I trained under your father."
His handshake was firm.
"If Victor trusts you, I do too."
Lucas nodded respectfully.
Before he could speak again, another young man walked forward.
Unlike the others, his expression remained cold.
He had neatly combed dark hair and wore an expensive tailored suit.
His movements carried quiet confidence.
"I'm Enzo Romano."
Lucas blinked.
"Romano?"
Victor smiled.
"My son."
Enzo gave a polite nod.
"It's good to finally meet you."
His tone was respectful, but something about his eyes felt impossible to read.
Lucas reached out.
Enzo shook his hand.
His grip was firm.
Neither smiled.
Victor clapped his hands together.
"Good."
"Now everyone's met."
He looked toward Lucas.
"Your father believed strength wasn't measured by how many people you could defeat."
Lucas listened carefully.
"He believed strength meant protecting those who couldn't protect themselves."
Those words sounded exactly like the father Lucas remembered.
The knot in his chest loosened slightly.
Maybe...
Maybe this world wasn't exactly what he imagined.
Victor continued.
"Your father hoped you'd never enter this life."
"But fate made the decision for you."
Lucas quietly nodded.
"I understand."
"Good."
Victor smiled like a proud uncle rather than a mafia leader.
"Then your training begins today."
Hours later...
Lucas stood inside a private training hall behind the warehouse.
Heavy punching bags hung from the ceiling.
A shooting range stretched across the opposite wall.
Several instructors waited nearby.
Ethan tossed him a pair of boxing gloves.
"Ready?"
Lucas laughed nervously.
"I've never done this before."
"It shows."
Moments later...
Lucas lay flat on his back after Ethan effortlessly swept his legs from beneath him.
The room burst into laughter.
Lucas rubbed the back of his head.
"I think I broke something."
Ethan reached down and helped him up.
"Good."
Lucas blinked.
"I just got thrown across the room."
"And you got back up."
Victor watched quietly from the observation deck above.
A faint smile crossed his face.
Leonardo would have been proud.
Training continued for hours.
Lucas learned how to hold a pistol safely.
How to disarm an attacker.
How to throw a proper punch.
By sunset his muscles burned.
His hands trembled from exhaustion.
Yet...
For the first time since his father's death...
His mind wasn't drowning in grief.
It had something else to focus on.
A purpose.
Across the city…
Maria's bedroom curtains remained closed.
The room was almost completely dark.
She sat on the floor hugging her knees.
Her phone buzzed repeatedly with messages from friends.
She ignored every one.
A gentle knock came from the door.
"Maria?"
Antonio's voice was soft.
"Can I come in?"
Silence.
After several moments, he slowly opened the door.
His daughter hadn't moved.
Food trays from previous meals remained untouched beside her bed.
The room looked frozen in time.
Antonio sat beside her.
"You haven't eaten."
"I'm not hungry."
"You haven't left this room in three days."
"I know."
He looked at her with helpless eyes.
"I made an appointment."
Maria didn't respond.
"Her name is Dr. Helen Moore."
"She's one of the best psychologists in the city."
"She helps people recover from trauma."
Maria slowly turned toward him.
"I don't need a psychologist."
"You've been having nightmares."
"I'm fine."
"You wake up screaming every night."
Maria lowered her eyes.
"I said I'm fine."
Antonio reached for her hand.
She quietly pulled it away.
"I couldn't save Mom."
His heart broke all over again.
"Maria..."
"If I hadn't asked her to go there..."
"If I hadn't wanted cheesecake..."
"She'd still be alive."
Tears filled Antonio's eyes.
"This wasn't your fault."
She shook her head.
"You keep saying that."
"But it doesn't change anything."
Antonio wanted to argue.
Instead...
He simply stood.
"The appointment is tomorrow."
"If you don't want to go..."
"I won't force you."
He quietly left the room.
The silence returned.
Maria remained motionless for several minutes.
Then...
She reached into the drawer beside her bed.
Inside lay an old photograph.
She smiled sadly as she looked at it.
It had been taken months before the shooting.
She and her mother sat at their favorite table inside Riverside Café.
Both of them laughed at something just outside the camera's view.
Maria gently traced her mother's smiling face with trembling fingers.
A single tear fell onto the photograph.
"I miss you..."
She hugged the picture tightly against her chest.
Outside her bedroom window, the evening sky slowly darkened.
Inside, the memory of that restaurant refused to let her go.
- Writer
