CHAPTER 20: A MESSAGE IN BLOOD
946 Words
The following morning, Lawson Tower buzzed with its usual activity.
Executives hurried through the marble lobby.
Assistants carried stacks of documents.
Investors arrived for scheduled meetings.
Everything appeared normal.
Until Damien's phone rang.
His expression changed instantly.
"Boss..."
Kelvin looked up from his desk.
"What happened?"
"Warehouse Nine."
Kelvin's eyes narrowed.
"Speak."
"Our shipment was attacked before dawn."
"Any casualties?"
Damien hesitated.
"Two guards were injured."
"And one of our men..."
"...didn't make it."
Silence filled the office.
Kelvin slowly stood.
"Prepare the car."
---
Forty minutes later...
Kelvin arrived at Warehouse Nine on the outskirts of Noctis.
Police officers had already cordoned off the area, but they knew better than to interfere with Lawson personnel.
The warehouse doors hung open, twisted from the force used to break in.
Inside, shattered crates and scattered documents covered the floor.
Damien walked beside Kelvin.
"There was no attempt to steal the cargo."
Kelvin frowned.
"Then why attack?"
Damien stopped near the center of the warehouse.
One of the walls had been painted with a single crimson symbol.
A coiled serpent.
Kelvin's face hardened.
"The DeLuca crest."
Damien nodded.
"They wanted us to know exactly who did this."
Kelvin surveyed the destruction.
"This wasn't a robbery."
"It was a declaration."
---
Meanwhile...
Mackenzie was finalizing plans for another corporate event when the news flashed across a television in the office lounge.
Breaking News: Explosion at a Lawson Holdings warehouse. Authorities are investigating possible sabotage.
Her heart skipped.
She turned up the volume.
The reporter stood outside the damaged building.
"There has been no official statement from Lawson Holdings, but sources indicate the incident may be linked to organized crime."
Sophia noticed Mackenzie's worried expression.
"You should call him."
Mackenzie hesitated.
"He'll be busy."
"That doesn't mean he wouldn't want to hear from you."
After a moment, Mackenzie picked up her phone.
---
Kelvin was still inspecting the warehouse when it vibrated in his pocket.
He glanced at the screen.
Mackenzie Calling.
For the first time that day, the tension in his face eased.
He answered immediately.
"Are you alright?" she asked before he could speak.
A faint smile crossed his lips.
"I'm fine."
"I saw the news."
"So did half the country."
She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"I'm glad you're safe."
Kelvin looked at the ruined warehouse around him.
"So am I."
There was a brief silence.
Then she said quietly,
"If you need someone to talk to..."
"I'm here."
His grip tightened around the phone.
No one had ever offered him comfort after an attack.
They usually asked about money.
Losses.
Revenge.
Mackenzie asked about him.
"Thank you," he replied softly.
"I won't forget that."
---
Elsewhere...
Ricardo DeLuca stood in an underground wine cellar beneath his estate.
Vincent Moretti joined him.
"The warehouse attack was successful."
Ricardo nodded.
"It was never about the warehouse."
Vincent raised an eyebrow.
"Then what?"
Ricardo poured two glasses of wine.
"I wanted to see who Kelvin would call."
"And?"
"He called no one."
"But..."
Ricardo smiled.
"...someone called him."
Vincent understood immediately.
"Mackenzie."
Ricardo nodded.
"Exactly."
He lifted his glass.
"She's becoming his weakness."
---
That evening...
Lawson Manor.
The atmosphere was unusually quiet.
Kelvin stood alone on the balcony overlooking the city.
The loss of one of his loyal men weighed heavily on him.
Footsteps approached.
Damien stopped beside him.
"The family has been informed."
Kelvin closed his eyes briefly.
"Make sure they're taken care of."
"They will be."
"His children will never have to worry about school fees."
"His wife will receive his full salary every month."
Damien nodded respectfully.
"Already arranged."
Kelvin looked toward the skyline.
"They risk their lives for me."
"I won't let their families suffer because of it."
Damien smiled faintly.
"This is why they follow you."
Not because they feared him.
Because they respected him.
---
Across town...
Mackenzie stood by the window of her apartment, looking out at the city lights.
She couldn't stop thinking about Kelvin.
He had sounded calm.
But she could hear the exhaustion beneath his voice.
Without overthinking it, she walked into her kitchen.
She prepared a pot of homemade chicken soup using her mother's recipe.
An hour later, she carefully packed it into a thermal container.
Sophia watched with an amused smile.
"Planning to feed the billionaire?"
Mackenzie laughed.
"I'm planning to make sure he eats."
---
Later that night...
A black SUV stopped outside Lawson Manor.
The guards recognized Mackenzie immediately and informed Damien.
Damien entered the study.
"Boss."
Kelvin looked up.
"What is it?"
"Miss Giovanni is here."
Kelvin frowned in surprise.
"At this hour?"
"She says she won't stay long."
Moments later, Mackenzie stepped into the study, holding the thermal container.
Kelvin looked genuinely puzzled.
"I heard you had a difficult day," she said softly.
"So..."
She held out the container with a shy smile.
"...I brought you dinner."
For a moment...
The feared mafia boss simply stared at her.
No expensive gift.
No grand gesture.
Just warm homemade soup.
Something no one had done for him in years.
A slow smile spread across Kelvin's face.
"Thank you, Mackenzie."
He accepted it carefully, as though it were something priceless.
Outside the study door, Damien quietly smiled to himself.
He had never seen anyone break through Kelvin's walls so effortlessly.
But neither Kelvin nor Mackenzie noticed the security camera above the manor gates.
Far beyond the estate...
A hacker working for Ricardo intercepted the camera feed for a few seconds.
Long enough to see Mackenzie enter Lawson Manor.
Long enough to send Ricardo one simple message.
She crossed his doorstep.
Ricardo read the message and smiled.
"The time has come."
- Writer
