Chapter 2 - The Sound of ThunderThe crayon snapped in his little fingers, the tip rolling across the white paper.
I froze. My entire world—the syndicate, the death threats, the ticking clock on my phone, the blood on my hands—vanished into thin air.
"Luca...?" I choked out, my voice thick, raw, and trembling with a sudden, overwhelming wave of emotion that no rival boss had ever managed to wring from me.
Luca didn't look up at me, but his small shoulders lowered a fraction of an inch. He kept staring at the green wax line he had made across the paper truck.
Emily returned carrying a wide oval tray loaded with two steaming plates: golden, fluffy pancakes dripping with melted butter and chocolate chips, beside a crisp stack of hickory-smoked bacon.
She set the plates down gently, completely oblivious to the earth-shattering miracle that had just taken place at table four.
"Here we go, chief," Emily smiled warmly, sliding the chocolate chip plate right before Luca. "Extra syrup on the side, just like I promised."
She looked up at me, noticing the moisture glinting in my eyes and the pale, rigid state of my posture. Her smile softened into genuine concern. "Sir? Are you alright? Do you need a glass of water?"
"No," I rasped out, my hand reaching across the table to gently, reverently rest over my son's small wrist. "No, Emily. Thank you. You... you have no idea what you just did."
Emily blinked, looking between me and Luca’s green drawing, a soft, puzzled smile touching her lips. "I just brought pancakes, sir."
BZZZ.
The phone in my pocket vibrated violently. A five-second countdown text:
TIME'S UP. WE'RE COMING IN.
The peaceful hum of the diner shattered in my mind.
I looked out the window. The doors of the dark grey SUV swung open simultaneously. Three heavy-set men wearing dark jackets, their hands tucked deep inside their pockets, stepped onto the asphalt, walking with fast, aggressive strides toward the diner's glass entrance.
They weren't just coming to deliver a message anymore. They were coming to take my son.
I looked at Emily, then at the three construction workers laughing near the register, then at the elderly couple sharing toast. Innocent people.
"Emily," I said, my voice dropping into an absolute, razor-sharp baritone that made her freeze instantly.
May you like
"Yes, sir...?"
"Take Luca into the kitchen right now," I commanded softly, pulling two thousand-dollar stacks of cash from my inner pocket and setting them flat onto the table. "Lock the rear door. Do not look out. Do not come out until I call your name."
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