Chapter 48: The Big Reveal

HAYLEY

As chaos ensued around her, Hayley felt a sharp poke in her back.

“Get the fuck on the ground!” a voice shouted behind her, and she turned to see a cop holding a long gun.

She froze, but Nic grabbed her around the waist and helped her to her knees.

She looked for Luca in the chaos, while cops knocked over tables and forced people to the ground, and when her eyes found him, he was on his knees with his hands on his head.

Lorenzo was furiously cursing and spouting invective in both Italian and English, and some other men were acting just as pissed. But she admired how calm Luca was in this situation.

“Well, well.” The voice managed to silence the entire room—a voice that was, unfortunately, familiar to Hayley.

Detective Blake.

“Holy shit,” she heard Nic say as they watched him walk down the grand staircase.

Bile churned in her stomach and rose to her throat, but she managed to keep it down. This was her fault—~she~ had led him here. And while Luca and his family were unprotected.

“I came here for one family,” Detective Blake announced, “and got three. Plus a couple of guests. Hello, Your Honor,” he said to a man who looked pissed off and not a little humiliated to be on his knees.

A deep laugh rang out, and Hayley looked from the detective to Luca. He was on his knees beside the other two Mafia leaders.

“Adam Marino,” Luca said, shaking his head, and Borroni and Genovese both narrowed their eyes at the detective.

“Detective ~Blake~, Mr. Marcello,” the detective growled as he approached him.

LUCA

“~You can change your name but not your heritage~,” Luca hissed in Italian.

“Speak English, Marcello. We don’t all speak Italian.”

“~But you do~,” he answered back, still in Italian. He knew Marino’s father, like his own, had insisted his boys be taught the mother tongue.

“I said, fucking English!”

“Bastardo traditore!” Lorenzo lunged for the detective but was restrained by three cops.

Then Adam ~fucking~ Marino walked up to Lorenzo, who was still cursing in Italian. “You, Mr. Borroni, are involving yourself in illegal activities. That is a violation of your bail.

“Whoever let you out was an idiot. You’re a fucking psychopath.” He chuckled and glanced at his men before looking down at Luca.

“Oh, I see.” He laughed again. “I was wondering who the crazy son of a bitch was. But of course. Luca.”

HAYLEY

Hayley couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ~Luca~ had paid Lorenzo Borroni’s bail money?

But Luca said nothing. He just continued to look smugly at the detective.

“I suppose all you family men stick together in the end,” Detective Blake—or was it Detective Marino?—said before turning to face the rest of the room, his eyes briefly catching on hers.

“I want this place turned over,” he announced. “I want everyone searched.

“And Luca Giovanni Marcello, I am placing you under arrest for illegally hosting a gambling ring, for serving liquor without a license, and for whatever else we discover in this place.”

Luca said nothing, just chuckled quietly as one officer grabbed his hands from his head and pulled them behind his back.

“Hold on!” The voice came from the corner of the room. “I’m Mr. Duvall, Mr. Marcello’s senior attorney.”

Hayley craned her neck to see the man who was speaking. He was tall, had light hair, and appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties. He approached the detective.

“My client is not going to be arrested.” Mr. Duvall went into his suit jacket and produced papers, handing them to the detective.

“Mr. Marcello has both gambling and liquor licenses for tonight. And if you’ll look around, Detective Blake, you’ll see that the purpose of tonight’s event is to raise funds for charity.”

It was then that Hayley noticed the banners, posters, and buckets with a registered children’s charity logo on them. There was even a handful of regular-looking people sporting T-shirts. Her mouth fell open in shock.

Detective Blake looked beyond annoyed as he read the papers Mr. Duvall had handed him.

“Can we continue our fundraiser now?” Luca asked.

“You can when we’re done!” the detective spat as he thrust the papers back at Mr. Duvall.

“That would be now, Detective Blake,” Mr. Duvall said firmly, tucking the papers back in his inside jacket pocket. “You have no reason to be here.”

The detective laughed, shaking his head, and looked around the room. He caught Hayley’s eyes again, and her heart leapt into her throat.

“I ~won’t~ be leaving now, Mr. Duvall,” the detective said, pulling out a paper of his own and handing it to the attorney. “I got an anonymous tip that this is a venue of illegal activities performed by your client and his associates.

“My source told me this place is crawling with weapons, drugs, and other items I’m very interested in getting my hands on.”

Mr. Duvall read the papers, then sighed. “This is a warrant. He has the right to search everywhere and everyone.”

“Search this place top to bottom,” the detective barked. “And begin the personal searches.”

The room began to move as the officers ordered people around. Hayley stayed on her knees, Nic still keeping one hand protectively on her waist.

Her heart was pounding as she remained as still as possible, trying not to make any eye contact with the detective.

The non-family people like judges, businessmen, charity personnel, and bar staff were all searched first and let go. She suspected the detective knew exactly who and what he was searching for.

“Did you enjoy prison, Lorenzo?” the detective said as the officers were searching the last of the people who had no obvious Mafia connections. “I heard Luca’s family made you feel welcome.”

Borroni growled at him but didn’t answer.

Detective Blake then looked at Genovese. “I bet this whole ‘families together’ mantra was your idea, Matteo.”

Genovese also said nothing, a cocky smile on his face.

“I don’t know how you can trust a Genovese, Luca, since it was an alliance with the Genoveses that killed your grandfather.”

Hayley gasped—how could Luca trust Matteo and his family after that? Nic pulled her in tighter but kept his eyes on what was going on.

“You see, once I find the guns, the drugs, and anything else incriminating, I’ll arrest you all. Then it will just be a matter of time.

“Witnesses will come forward. Even your most loyal men will tell me your secrets in exchange for plea bargains.”

LUCA

“I fear, vecchio amico,” Luca said, keeping his voice smooth and calm, “that you’ve shown your hand too early in the game.”

“This isn’t a fucking game, Marcello!”

“Isn’t it, Marino?” Luca smiled. “Admit it. You get a rush, a high, from this game of cat and mouse. A game that has been played for years—by the cops and us. You enjoy the chase, vecchio amico, but you’re just another player.”

“I am not your friend, Marcello.”

Luca laughed—Detective “Blake’s” Italian roots were showing.

“Sir.” An officer entered the room and walked up to Detective Marino-slash-Blake, then whispered in his ear.

Marino’s eyes went wild, and he muttered angrily back to the officer, who swiftly left the room again.

“Can’t find what you are looking for, Detective?” Luca purred. “You know, you were a lot scarier when you were anonymous.”

Marino pushed himself from the bar and walked over to where Hayley was on her knees beside Nic. “Let’s get on with the searches! I need to arrest some fucker tonight.” Then he grabbed Hayley’s arm and dragged her to her feet.

“Hey!” she cried out.

Luca struggled to keep his composure as he watched Marino manhandle Hayley, but he wanted to choke the life out of the bastard.

“If you hurt her, I will destroy you,” Luca muttered in Italian, and the detective chuckled.

“A good moneymaker, Luca?”

“How dare—” Hayley began, but Marino cut her off.

“Prostitution is illegal, did you know that?” He laughed as he moved her to the bar, forcing her to put her hands flat on the bar top and bending her over.

“Fucking asshole!” Luca roared and leapt to his feet, only to be held back by two officers.