Chapter 5 - The Snake Ring's Message Delivered
By 3:00 AM, the rain had softened into a misty drizzle over the dark skyline of downtown Chicago.
Inside the private recovery room, Elena lay hooked to three IV lines, her face pale but her breathing steady and peaceful.
Enzo sat in a chair beside her bed, holding sleeping baby Sophia in his left arm while his right hand held Elena’s cold fingers.
The door opened quietly, and Frankie stepped inside, stepping around the medical monitors with quiet boots.
“Boss,” Frankie whispered, leaning down. “We swept Elena’s old apartment in Lincoln Park where she was staying.”
“What did you find?” Enzo asked, his eyes never leaving Elena’s sleeping face.
“It was tossed. Moretti’s men were looking for something specific, boss. They didn't just ambush her by accident.”
Frankie pulled a clear plastic evidence bag from his coat pocket and laid it on the bedside table.
Inside the bag was a small, silver flash drive coated in dry mud, recovered from the pocket of Elena’s discarded trench coat.
“She was carrying state evidence, boss,” Frankie whispered, his face grave.
“Elena wasn't hiding from you because she stopped loving you. She was hiding because she uncovered Moretti’s plot to overthrow the entire Vitale family.”
“She spent six months building a federal indictment file against Mateo Moretti to protect you from the inside.”
Enzo stared at the flash drive, a deep, burning fire igniting inside his chest that made his breath hot.
Elena had risked her life, her safety, and their unborn child’s future to secure a shield for him while he thought she had abandoned him.
He had spent six months wallowing in bitter self-pity, believing he was protecting her by staying away.
In reality, she had been fighting in the dark shadows alone, holding a knife against his enemies to keep him safe on his throne.
“Frankie,” Enzo said, his voice dropping into a register so cold it chilled the air in the room.
“Where is Mateo Moretti right now?”
“He’s at his private club in River North, celebrating what he thinks was a successful hit on your bloodline.”
Enzo carefully handed baby Sophia to the attending nurse standing by the door, then stood up from his chair.
He leaned down and kissed Elena’s cheek, brushing a strand of damp blonde hair away from her forehead.
May you like
“Watch over them with your life, Frankie,” Enzo commanded, pulling his leather coat over his shoulder.
“I have a debt to collect in River North.”
