LOGINShare
Chapter 71: The Shadow that Returns
publish date:
2026-05-19 15:52:16
Latest chapter
Blood and Badge Chapter 72: The Abyss of Doubt
Geneva, SwitzerlandHours after the bankThe hotel where they were staying was anonymous, gray, just as they needed it to be.Elena sat on the edge of the bed, holding the photograph of Dante with Di Stefano. She had been staring at it for an hour, trying to find an explanation, an angle, a lie other than the one her eyes saw.Dante was at the window, his back to her, looking out at the street."Why didn't you tell me?" Elena asked."Because there's nothing to say. It's a setup. Di Stefano framed me.""How? When?""I don't know. But I never worked for him. Never.""Then why are you in that photo? Why are you smiling?"Dante turned around."Do you think I could smile next to a man who killed your sister? Who destroyed my father?" What ruined the lives of everyone we love?Elena felt the blow.No. I don't think so.Then what is it?Please help me understand. Because if I don't, this doubt is going to destroy us.Dante sat down next to her.That photo has to be from before all of this. B
Blood and Badge Chapter 71: The Shadow that Returns
Villa Isabella, Sabine MountainsOne week after Dante's releaseThe spring sun warmed the villa's stones.Elena was in the garden with Matteo and Bruno, trying to reclaim the normalcy that had been so often stolen from them. Dante was napping inside, exhausted from his days in prison, from the tension, from the nightmare that still seemed endless.Pietro had stayed at the villa. He had nowhere else to go. His testimony had been crucial in freeing Dante, but it had also made him a target. Di Stefano's men, even though the lawyer was in jail, were still free. And they hadn't forgotten.Aunt Elena asked Matteo, while throwing a ball to Bruno, "Is Uncle Dante sad?""He's tired," she replied. "But he'll be alright.""And the bad man?""Which man?""The one who locked him up. Will he come back?"Elena felt a chill.No. He won't come back.But she wasn't sure.The CallThat night, Elena's phone rang.It was an unknown number."Mrs. Moretti?" A deep, professional voice. "This is Inspector Fra
Blood and Badge Chapter 70: The Price of Loyalty
Villa Isabella, Sabine MountainsThree months after the meetingSpring had arrived in the mountains.Elena was in the garden, planting new red roses, always red, when the car appeared on the dirt road. It wasn't a familiar car. It was an official vehicle, with FBI markings.Dante went out to meet it, tension in his shoulders.Agent Cross got out of the car, the same one who had visited them months before. But this time he wasn't alone. He was accompanied by two other men, in dark suits, with serious expressions.Mrs. Moretti. Cross nodded. Please come with us.Why?New evidence has surfaced. Regarding your sister's death. Regarding your husband's involvement.Elena felt like the world had stopped.What?We have witnesses who claim that Dante Moretti was present the night Sofia Rossi died. That he did nothing to stop it. Which, in fact, facilitated Salvatore's access to the warehouse.Dante stepped forward. That's a lie.The evidence will tell. Cross looked at him. Mr. Moretti, you're
Blood and Badge Chapter 69: The Echo of Betrayal
Villa Isabella, Montes SabinosOne week laterThe tension in the villa was palpable.Even though Antonio had revealed his past, something had changed in the atmosphere of the house. Eye contact lingered a second too long. Conversations ceased when someone approached. Trust, that fragile crystal, had cracked.Elena noticed it everywhere. In the way Dante watched Antonio, in the way Carla avoided certain topics, in Roberto's silence when someone mentioned the past."It can't go on like this," she told Dante one afternoon, as they walked through the woods. "The mistrust is consuming us.""I know. But I don't know how to fix it.""By talking. By being honest. By letting each of us say what we feel."Dante looked at her."Do you think that will work?""I don't know. But it's better than this."The MeetingThat night, Dante summoned everyone to the library.Antonio, Roberto, Carla, Valentina, Enzo, Marco, Luca, Alessandro, Catalina, Andrea, Giulia, Marco Rossi. All those who had come to the
Blood and Badge Chapter 68: The Crack in Trust
Villa Isabella, Montes SabinosDays LaterTrust was a luxury Elena couldn't afford.Despite Roberto's words, despite his promise not to keep any more secrets, the doubt remained. It wasn't just him. Sofia's letter said someone was inside, and Elena had learned not to ignore her sister's warnings.That morning, while having breakfast with Dante, she received a message from an unknown number."The truth isn't always what it seems. Look in the garden, by the fountain. You'll find what you're looking for there."Elena showed the message to Dante."Does anyone know anything?""Shall we go?""Let's go."They went out into the garden. The fountain was dry, as it always was in winter. But next to it, leaning against the stone, was a small, unmarked wooden box.Elena opened it.Inside, a photograph.The same one she'd seen in Roberto's room. Sofia with Dante's father. But this time, the image was clearer. The drunk man in the background had a defined face.And he wasn't a stranger.It was Anto
Blood and Badge Chapter 67: The Echo of Silence
Villa Isabella, Montes SabinosOne month laterWinter was approaching with slow but steady steps.Elena was in the library, organizing Sofia's last documents. She had read them so many times she knew them by heart, but each time she found something new. A word, a phrase, a clue she had overlooked.That afternoon, she found a letter she hadn't seen before.It was at the bottom of the box, stuck to the inside of the lid, as if someone had tried to hide it. The handwriting was Sofia's, but more shaky, more urgent.“Elena:If you find this, it's because someone else is reading my letters. Someone who shouldn't.Don't trust everyone. Not everyone around you is who they seem.There's someone inside. Someone who knows too much. Someone who was there when it all happened.Find him. Before he finds you.S.”Elena read the letter three times.Someone inside. Someone who knows too much.She looked around. The library was empty. Only Bruno, asleep by the fireplace.But suddenly, the house seemed
You may also like
The Devil's Fire
Mariam El-Hafi276.8K viewsSIR
Aria Steele133.4K viewsMafia Vengeance
KATHLEEN HAYAT176.1K viewsFallen From Grace [Married to the Mafia Novel]
Theia116.5K views30 DAYS TRAPPED WITH THE WRONG CEO
Rosey Murray111 viewsA Prey For My Enemy
Tori A. de219 viewsBLOODBOUND: HEIRESS OF THE MAFIA
Beauty m.j286 viewsIT'S COMPLICATED: THE MAFIA'S HEIRS
Olivia Oscarlyn394 views
