Chapter 9 - Flashing Red and Blue
Before Salvatore could take a single step toward his treacherous wife, a low, mechanical hum began to vibrate through the tall windows.
From the winding private driveway that carved through the estate’s wooded perimeter, a high-pitched siren pierced the Chicago night.
A second siren joined the first, rising in a chaotic, synchronized crescendo of emergency response.
Suddenly, violent pulses of bright red and sapphire-blue light detonated through the frosted glass of the towering entrance doors.
The strobe of emergency cruisers washed over the white marble columns, casting alternating shadows of crimson and cold azure across the grand hall.
Victoria’s head snapped toward the windows, her wide, bloodshot eyes flashing with a sudden, grotesque glimmer of hope.
The Chicago Police Department was arriving at the gates of the mafia stronghold, an unprecedented event in the Moretti family history.
"The police!" Victoria gasped, a hysterical laugh breaking from her cracked, painted lips.
"You can't touch me now, Salvatore!" she cried, scrambling to her feet with renewed, desperate energy.
"You lay a single finger on me, and you rot in a federal penitentiary for the rest of your miserable life!" she mocked, pointing toward the doors.
Salvatore did not flinch, his stoic, intimidating posture unaffected by the flashing beacons of federal and local law.
He remained standing beside his children, his arm resting protectively across Marco’s trembling shoulders.
Marcus stepped backward from the main entrance, pulling his hands away from his concealed weapon to remain fully compliant with protocol.
The heavy wooden mansion doors remained firmly bolted from the inside, the approaching headlights sweeping across the manicured lawn outside.
Tires screeched aggressively against the crushed-gravel driveway as two black-and-white cruisers slammed to a halt before the portico.
The flashing lights reflected relentlessly off the polished gold railings of the grand staircase where Elena had nearly plummeted to her death.
They illuminated the open, black square of the floor hatch, exposing the concrete tomb to the gaze of the world outside.
Victoria backed slowly toward the grand entrance, keeping her eyes fixed on Salvatore, awaiting the violent outburst that never came.
Instead, Salvatore reached slowly into the inside pocket of his tailored black suit jacket.
May you like
He withdrew his black smartphone, its screen already illuminated with an active, unmuted call.
Victoria's triumphant sneer began to crack once more as she watched her husband bring the device to his ear.
