Chapter 4 - THE WHITE ROSE RETALIATION
By Sunday afternoon, the safehouse had become a war room. While Hannah monitored Roman's vitals and administered targeted antibiotics, Marcus Vance uncovered the digital paper trail that connected Uncle Raymond to the hitmen who had attacked Roman’s SUV on Lower Wacker Drive.
"The weapons used in the ambush were traced back to a shipment that was cleared through the Bellandi ports three weeks ago," Marcus explained, throwing a file onto the desk. "Raymond signed the customs waiver himself. They didn't want a random car accident, Roman. They wanted a total assassination."
Roman was sitting at the edge of the bed in the study, wearing a clean black shirt that Hannah had forced him to leave unbuttoned halfway so she could check his dressings. "They underestimated the armor on my vehicle. And they didn't realize Owen was in the backseat."
"They knew," a soft voice spoke from the doorway.
Hannah turned to see Mrs. Evelyn Porter, the retired pediatric nurse she had trusted to help move Owen. Evelyn had arrived at the safehouse an hour earlier via a secured escort. Behind her stood Owen, clutching a small stuffed bear the guards had found for him.
"Daddy!" Owen cried, running across the room. He minded his father's bandages, stopping just before the bed, his small hands resting on Roman's knee.
Roman's entire demeanor transformed. The cold, lethal mafia boss vanished, replaced by a father whose world revolved around the little boy in front of him. He reached down, carefully lifting Owen onto the bed beside him, pulling him into a gentle embrace that avoided his injuries.
"I'm here, buddy," Roman whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I've got you. You’re safe now."
"The lady in white was talking to the man with the scar," Owen said, his small voice muffled against Roman's shirt. "Before we got in the car, I saw them behind the restaurant. She told him to make sure the car didn't stop until it reached the lake."
Roman’s eyes flew up to meet Hannah's. The man with the scar was Silas Vance—Raymond’s primary enforcer and a known sociopath who handled the family's wetwork.
"Victoria didn't just leak the location," Hannah whispered, horror dawning on her face. "She ordered the hit herself. She wanted both of you dead so she could claim the entire estate as the grieving fiancée before the marriage contract could be contested."
"She’s an ambitious woman," Roman said, his voice dropping into a register that made the temperature in the room feel like January. "But she made one fatal mistake. She left the nurse alive."
Suddenly, the house’s perimeter alarm began to chime—a low, rhythmic pulse that signaled an approaching vehicle at the main gate.
Marcus instantly checked the security monitors. "We have a single vehicle at the gate. It’s a white Mercedes. License plate registered to Victoria Bellandi."
Hannah’s breath hitched. "How did she find this place? It’s a secured safehouse."
"Raymond," Roman said, his hand resting reassuringly on Owen's head. "He’s the only other person who knows the access codes to this property. She didn't bring an army; she brought herself. She wants to see if I’m really alive."
"Let her in," Roman ordered Marcus.
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"Roman, are you crazy?" Hannah protested. "She’s dangerous!"
"She’s a guest in my home, Hannah," Roman said, his eyes turning back into cold obsidian. "And it’s time we showed her proper Moretti hospitality. Marcus, take Owen and Evelyn to the saferoom downstairs. Hannah, stay right next to me. Let’s see how well the future Mrs. Moretti plays her role when the script changes."
