Chapter 30
“What happened after that?” I asked, my heart racing as I absorbed every detail of his story.
Lorenzo’s lips curved into a knowing smile, but his eyes held a dangerous glint. “I started digging. At first, the investigation hit dead ends everywhere I turned. But I kept pushing, following breadcrumbs, connecting dots that seemed random at first.”
He leaned forward, his voice dropping lower. “The deeper I went, the more I found traces leading to the underworld. Not just any regular criminals – we’re talking about the most dangerous circles in the country.”
My fingers gripped the edge of my seat. “What did you find?”
“Carlos Angelo.” Lorenzo’s jaw tightened as he spoke the name. “The most feared boss in the underground. People wouldn’t even whisper his name without looking over their shoulders first.”
“But you went after him anyway?”
“Knowledge is power, cara. Angelo might’ve been feared, but he wasn’t invincible. He had rivals powerful ones. I made it my business to know everything about them.” Lorenzo’s expression turned calculating. “The underworld is like a chessboard. You need to know every piece to play the
game.”
“Weren’t you scared?”
“Fear is a luxury I couldn’t afford. Not when justice was at stake.” His eyes met mine, intense and unwavering. “The investigation nearly cost me everything. But some things are worth the risk.”
I watched as Lorenzo’s expression shifted, becoming more intense. “I reached out to Karlin Moretti – Angelo’s biggest rival. Told him I wanted in.”
“Just like that?” I couldn’t hide my surprise.
“Moretti was different from the others. He saw something in my eyes that day- the same fire that consumed him when he first started. He took me under his wing, trained me personally.”
Lorenzo’s hands moved as he spoke, his gestures precise and controlled. “I threw myself into the training. Every minute, every hour was dedicated to becoming stronger, faster, deadlier. The gun – it felt natural in my hands from
Sun, 2 Mar
the start. Like it belonged there.”
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My breath caught as his voice softened. “I climbed ranks quickly. Moretti’s men started calling me II Fantasma – the ghost. I could get in and out without leaving a trace.”
Lorenzo paused, his jaw tightening. “Then one day, everything changed. I got a call…” His voice dropped, a shadow crossing his face. “It was my mother.”
Lorenzo’s POV
The memory hit me like a physical blow. I could still hear the phone ringing, feel my heart stopping as I saw my mother’s number flash across the
screen.
“Mom?”
Her terrified breathing crackled through the line. “Lorenzo, they found me. I don’t know how-”
Male laughter echoed in the background. My blood turned to ice.
“Get out now. Use the back door.” I gripped the phone so hard my knuckles turned white. “Mom, listen to me-”
A crash. Her scream pierced through the speaker. “They’re inside!”
“Everyone move!” I roared at my men, already sprinting toward my car. “Send units to safehouse three. Now!”
Footsteps thundered behind me as my security team mobilized. I jumped into the driver’s seat, engine roaring to life.
“Mom, stay on the line. I’m coming.” My tires screeched against pavement as I peeled out of the garage.
More male voices in the background. Laughing. Taunting. My mother’s frightened gasps as she tried to escape them.
“Please,” she begged, her voice breaking. “Lorenzo-”
“Hide. Anywhere. I’m ten minutes out.” My foot pressed harder on the gas, speedometer climbing. “Keep talking to me.”
But all I heard was shuffling, then heavy footsteps. Their laughter grew louder.
“Found you, Mrs. Constantine,” a gruff voice sneered.
My mother screamed again. The sound of breaking glass. “Mom!”
Chapter 30
The line went dead.
I slammed my hand against the steering wheel, weaving through traffic at breakneck speed. The safehouse was still too far. My security teams were mobilizing, but would they get there in time?
Those bastards had found her. Despite all my precautions, all the measures I’d taken to keep her safe. They’d found her anyway.
And now she was alone with them.
My phone rang again. Mom’s name flashed on the screen.
“Mom!” I answered, hope surging through me.
“Hello, Lorenzo.” A deep male voice chuckled on the other end. My blood. froze. “Remember me?”
“Carlos Angelo.” The name tasted like poison on my tongue. My grip on the steering wheel tightened until my knuckles turned white.
“Smart boy. Your mother’s been quite the gracious host.”
A muffled whimper in the background made my vision blur with rage. “If you touch her, I swear I’ll-”
“You’ll what?” Carlos cut in. “Destroy me? Wipe my existence from this. earth?” His laughter echoed through the line. “Go ahead, try. Your father made. similar threats before his… unfortunate accident.”
The world tilted on its axis. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, didn’t you know? Daddy dearest was getting too close, his company digging into things that didn’t concern him. He needed to be dealt with.” Carlos’s voice dropped lower. “And now history repeats itself. Your mother pays the price for your misguided vendetta against me.”
“You bastard!” I roared into the phone, swerving through traffic at dangerous speeds. “I’ll hunt you down-”
“Like you’ve been trying these past months?” Carlos clicked his tongue. “Amateur moves, Constantine. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? That I wouldn’t find out about your little arrangement with Moretti?”
My mind raced. He’d known. All this time, he’d known.
“You see, Lorenzo, there’s a natural order to things. Your father forgot his place. And now you…” He paused, letting the threat hang in the air.
My blood turned to molten ice as Carlos’s words dripped with malice.. “Some lessons need to be taught twice, it seems.”
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12:03 Sun 7 Mar furned to moiten ice as Carlos’s words dripped with malice.
My blood “Some lessons need to be taught twice, it seems.”
A deafening crack split through the phone speaker. The gunshot echoed in my ears, followed by a heavy thud.
“Come, I’ve left a gift for you.” Carlos’s voice held a smile I couldn’t see. “NOOOOO!”
