Chapter 5 - THE SHADOWS OF SILVIO
Back at the estate,
the atmosphere had shifted from gala glamour to a tense,
guarded silence.
Damiano stood in his study,
the heavy drapes drawn,
as he listened to Rafael’s report on the Marchetti movements.
"Silvio is gathering his capos,"
Rafael said,
"they think you've gone soft."
"They see the girl as a hostage,"
"or a way to get to you."
Damiano looked at the red crayon heart sitting on his desk,
a splash of color in a room of dark wood and leather.
"Let them think I'm soft,"
Damiano whispered,
"it will make their deaths more surprising."
"But we need to move Elena and Mia to the safe house in the Hamptons."
"The estate is too public now."
Rafael nodded,
but he looked hesitant.
"The girl thinks this is a game,
Damiano."
"She thinks you're her father."
"What happens when the 'one day' is over?"
Damiano didn't answer,
his mind playing back the way she had hugged his legs in the playground.
He had promised her one day,
and the sun was already starting to set.
He walked out of the study and found Mia in the library,
surrounded by books that were older than the country.
She was sitting on the floor,
trying to read a first-edition Dante,
her face scrunched up in concentration.
"It has no pictures,"
she complained when she saw him.
Damiano sat down beside her,
ignoring the stiffness in his joints,
and he took the book from her hands.
"This is a story about a man who goes through hell to find the woman he loves,"
Damiano explained,
his voice a low murmur.
"Is it like the princess play?"
Mia asked,
leaning her head on his shoulder.
"No,"
Damiano said,
looking at the ceiling,
"it's much darker."
"But the ending is the same."
Mia yawned,
her small body relaxing into his side,
the safety of the mansion protecting her from the monsters outside.
"Can you stay my daddy tomorrow,
too?"
she asked,
her voice muffled by his suit.
"Just for a little bit?"
Damiano felt a pang of guilt,
a feeling he hadn't experienced in years.
"I have to go back to being the boss,
Mia,"
he said,
though the words felt like a betrayal.
"But I will always be your friend."
Mia looked up at him,
her eyes searching his,
and she gave him a small,
sad smile.
"I know you're a bad man,"
she whispered,
"but you're a good daddy."
Damiano closed his eyes,
unable to face the truth in her words.
He was a man who lived in the shadows,
a man who had blood on his hands,
and he didn't deserve the love of a child.
Suddenly,
the sound of breaking glass echoed from the west wing,
followed by the sharp crack of a gunshot.
Rafael burst into the library,
his gun drawn,
his face a mask of urgency.
"They're inside!"
Rafael shouted.
"Marchetti's men!"
Damiano grabbed Mia,
tucking her under his arm,
as he pulled a pistol from his waistband.
May you like
The one day was over,
and the war had begun.
