Chapter 4 - The Brother Luca Could No Longer SaveLuca reached the hotel room thirty-seven seconds too late.

The broken microphone lay on the carpet.

The balcony door stood open.

No Elena.

Gabriel checked the bathroom.

"Gone."

Luca turned toward him.

"Find her."

"We are."

"Find her now."

Every Moretti contact in Chicago received Elena's photograph within minutes.

Airports.

Train stations.

Private garages.

Shipping yards.

Hospitals.

Hotels.

Matteo had spent his entire adult life inside Luca's organization.

He knew every safe house Luca would check.

Which meant Luca had to think backward.

Where would Matteo go precisely because Luca would consider it useless?

At 11:40 p.m., Rosa provided the answer.

"The old Moretti theater."

Luca stared at her.

Their grandfather had owned an abandoned movie theater on the south side.

It had been empty for eighteen years.

"Why there?"

"Matteo used to hide there when your father beat him."

Luca's expression shifted.

There were pieces of his brother's childhood he tried not to remember.

Their father had been cruel.

Luca, being older, often took the beatings meant for Matteo.

He had convinced himself he had protected his little brother.

Maybe he had only delayed what Matteo became.

At the theater, Elena woke tied to a chair.

Matteo sat on the ruined stage.

"You know what I hate about Luca?"

Elena said nothing.

"He thinks rules make him honorable."

"You sound jealous."

He laughed.

"I like you."

"You have a strange way of showing it."

"He inherited everything. Respect. Loyalty. Fear."

Matteo walked closer.

"I inherited his shadow."

"And that's why you killed people?"

"I killed people because this world requires it."

"Luca doesn't."

"Don't romanticize him."

"I'm not."

She looked directly at Matteo.

"But he's better than you."

The slap came quickly.

Elena's head snapped sideways.

Then Matteo froze.

Not from regret.

From sound.

A door had opened in the lobby.

Luca's voice carried through the darkness.

"Touch her again."

Matteo turned.

Luca emerged alone.

At least he appeared alone.

"You came."

"Obviously."

"Without Gabriel?"

"You asked for me."

Matteo smiled.

"Still trying to save everyone?"

"No."

Luca looked at Elena.

Their eyes met.

Something passed between them.

Relief.

Anger.

And something neither wanted to name.

Matteo raised the pistol.

"Give me the ledger."

"No."

"I shoot her."

"No, you won't."

"You sure?"

"You need her."

Matteo's smile faded.

Luca continued.

"If you believed the only copy existed, you'd have killed her already. You think Anthony told Elena where backups are."

Elena realized Luca was improvising.

There were no known backups.

Matteo didn't know that.

"Smart," Matteo said.

"I taught you."

"That's always been your problem."

"What?"

"You think you made me."

Luca stepped closer.

"I spent half my childhood keeping Dad from beating you unconscious."

"Don't."

"I gave you Daniel's company."

"Stop."

"I trusted you."

Matteo's gun shifted.

Luca saw the crack.

"You didn't live in my shadow, Matteo."

"Shut up."

"You were my brother."

"Luca."

"You could have asked me for anything."

"I wanted what you had!"

The words exploded through the theater.

Finally.

Truth.

Matteo breathed heavily.

"I wanted people to look at me the way they looked at you."

"So you murdered Uncle Daniel?"

"He was going to expose me!"

Elena stared.

Matteo realized too late.

Another confession.

Then applause echoed from the balcony.

Gabriel stepped into view.

Beside him stood Rebecca.

And two federal investigators.

Matteo's face went blank.

Luca had made a choice.

One that could threaten his own empire.

He had turned over enough evidence to law enforcement to ensure Matteo could not simply disappear into the criminal world.

"You brought cops?"

Luca's expression remained steady.

"I brought consequences."

"You betrayed family."

"No."

Luca looked at Elena.

"You did."

Matteo swung the gun toward her.

Everything happened at once.

Luca lunged.

A shot exploded.

Elena screamed.

Matteo hit the floor.

Gabriel's men rushed from both sides.

The gun slid across the stage.

And Luca staggered backward.

A dark stain spread across his shirt.

"Luca!"

Elena tore against the restraints.

He looked down at the blood.

Then at her.

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For the first time since she met him, Luca Moretti looked surprised.

And then he collapsed.