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Forty Three
Fecha de publicación:
2026-10-24 18:42:57
Último capítulo
THE SINS OF DE LUCA Forty-Eight
JACK The old guard left at ten.I stood in the study and watched them go through the window. Four dark suits walking down the drive, past the reporters still camped at the gates, into cars that pulled away without headlights.Salvatore didn't look back.The house felt emptier after they were gone. Not quieter. Emptier. Like something had been removed from the walls.Ariana was still standing by the table. She hadn't moved since she told them who she was. Her hands were loose at her sides. Her hair was still pulled back. She looked tired. Not the kind of tired that sleep fixes. The other kind."You should sit down," I said."I've been sitting all night.""Then eat something.""I'm not hungry."I walked to the window and looked out at the gates. The reporters were still there. They'd be there all day. They'd be there tomorrow. They'd be there until the story burned itself out and something else took its place."We need to find Oliver," I said."I know.""He could be anywhere. He could
THE SINS OF DE LUCA Forty Seven
ArianaThey came at nine in the morning.Four of them. Men I'd seen at the gala, at the dinner table, in the corridors of this house, always in the background, always watching. They wore dark suits and carried themselves like men who had never been asked to wait for anything in their lives.John met them at the door. He didn't stop them. He couldn't.Jack was already in the dining room when they walked in. I stood beside him. I'd changed out of the dress I'd been wearing all night. My hair was pulled back. My hands were still. I'd learned a long time ago that still hands were half the battle.The oldest of them was a man named Salvatore. He had white hair and a face like cracked leather and eyes that had seen everything twice. He'd been with Romano since before Jack was born. He was the first to speak."Jack.""Sal.""We heard about your father.""I know."Salvatore looked at the sheet on the floor of the study, visible through the open door. Then at the bloodstain someone had tried t
THE SINS OF DE LUCA Forty Six
ARIANA The news broke at six in the morning.I was still on the floor of the study, back against the desk, hands loose in my lap. Jack sat beside me. Neither of us had moved since John and the others carried Romano’s body out. Someone had thrown a white sheet over the blood. It was already stained through.The television turned itself on.A reporter stood outside the gates in the half-light, microphone in hand, the house rising behind her like something that had been caught mid-breath.“Breaking news this morning from California. Romano De Luca, one of the wealthiest and most feared men in the state, has been found dead at his estate. Details are still emerging, but sources close to the family confirm he was pronounced dead at the scene early this morning. The cause of death has not been released.”Jack didn’t look at the screen.I did.Behind the reporter I could see the same iron gates I’d walked through two weeks ago with a stolen watch and a name that wasn’t mine.“Reporters and f
THE SINS OF DE LUCA Forty five
ARIANA The dark was total.Then the gunshots.Two of them. Close together. Loud enough that my ears rang and my body moved before my brain caught up. I dropped to the floor. My hands hit the carpet. My knees hit the carpet. I pressed myself flat and waited for the third shot.It didn't come.The silence after was worse than the noise.I could hear breathing. Not mine. Someone else's. Shallow and fast. Somewhere to my left. Someone was hurt."Jack."My voice came out thin.No answer."Jack.""I'm here."His voice was low. Close. He was somewhere near the desk."Are you hit?""No.""Oliver?"Silence."Oliver."A groan. Low. Pained. From somewhere near the window."I'm hit."Romano's voice came from behind the desk. Calm. Steady. "You should have killed me when you had the chance."I heard Jack move. Fast. Then a scuffle. Then something hitting the floor.The lights came back on.Not all at once. One row at a time. The chandelier flickered, then held. The study came back into view.Roma
THE SINS OF DE LUCA Forty Four
JACK The mansion gates were open.That was the first thing I noticed. The gatekeeper's booth was empty. The security lights were still on, but nobody was standing in the driveway. Nobody was watching.I parked hard. The tires skidded on the gravel."John."I had him on speaker. His voice came through cracked and urgent."Boss, there's movement in the east wing. Romano's in the study. Skylark's in her room. The staff have been sent to their quarters.""And Oliver?""I haven't seen him. But the study door is open. It's never open."I killed the engine."Stay where you are. Don't come out until I tell you.""But Boss—""That's an order."I hung up.Ariana was already out of the car. D.D. was behind her. Both of them were looking at the house.The mansion stood dark and white against the night sky. The windows were black. The front door was closed.It looked like a tomb.We walked toward it.---The front door was unlocked.I pushed it open. The entrance hall was dark. The chandelier was
THE SINS OF DE LUCA Forty Three
ARIANA The car smelled like coffee and cold air again.D.D. drove. Jack sat in the passenger seat. I sat in the back with my hands in my lap and the photograph of my father in my pocket and the question I should have asked last night sitting on my tongue.We were halfway to Oakland when I finally said it."D.D."He looked at me in the rearview mirror."Yes?""You said you've been tracking Marcus for three months.""That's right.""Why didn't you tell us sooner?"The car was quiet.Jack didn't move. He was watching D.D. the way he watched everyone. Patient. Careful. Filing it away.D.D. kept his eyes on the road."Because I wasn't sure," he said."Not sure of what?""Not sure he was the mole. Not sure he was still alive. Not sure what I'd find if I went looking." He paused. "I didn't want to give you something that wasn't solid."I looked at him."That's not the whole answer."He looked at me in the mirror."No," he said. "It's not.""Then what is?"He was quiet for a moment."Because
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