Chapter 3 - The Empty House
The rain was coming down in sheets when Santiago’s black SUV pulled up to a decaying apartment complex on the South Side. He stepped out alone, telling his men to stay put. He didn't want a bloodbath. Not yet. He wanted answers.
He picked the lock of apartment 4B in seconds. He slipped inside, the shadows swallowing him. The apartment was tiny, impeccably clean, but completely bare. No photos. No personal items. It was the home of a ghost ready to run at a moment's notice.
He heard the click of a gun behind his head.
"Turn around slowly, Moretti."
It was Ruby's voice, but the subservient tone of a maid was gone. It was replaced by steel.
Santiago turned slowly. She was standing there in dark clothes, a duffel bag slung over one shoulder, a 9mm leveled perfectly at his eyes.
"Elena Romano," Santiago said, testing the name on his tongue.
Her jaw tightened, but her hand didn't shake. "That name died in the fire. I’m just Ruby now."
"Why my house?" Santiago demanded, ignoring the barrel of the gun. "You want revenge? You want to finish what your father started? Then shoot me."
"My father was a monster," she spat, her eyes blazing. "I didn't come to your house for revenge, Santiago. I came because I had to know if she survived the trauma. I had to see Sophia."
Santiago froze. "What?"
Ruby lowered the gun an inch, her breathing ragged. "The night of the fire... your men weren't the only ones who were betrayed. My father didn't order the hit on your family. Your own underboss did. And my father helped him."
"Liar."
"Think about it!" she snapped. "How did the assassins bypass your security system? How did they know exactly which wing your parents were sleeping in? It was an inside job, Santiago. When I found out what my father had agreed to, I ran to your estate to warn you. But I was too late. The fire had already started."
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Santiago felt the world tilt.
"I was in the house," Ruby whispered, tears pricking her eyes. "I found Sophia in the smoke. I carried her out. I hid her in the rose bushes before your men arrived. When she looked at me, she was screaming, but no sound was coming out. I’ve lived with that silence in my head for seven years."
