Chapter 9 - The Sanitarium in the Pines
The shockwave knocked them onto the damp planks of the floating dock.
Black smoke billowed into the gray sky, hiding their escape from the surviving gunmen on the shore.
Frank shoved the groaning Dr. Vance into the cabin of a waiting harbor patrol launch tied to the slip.
Nico severed the mooring lines with a single slash of his combat knife.
The twin outboard engines roared to life, hurling the boat forward into the thick river mist.
Behind them, the burning remains of Pier 42 collapsed into the churning waters of the Hudson.
An hour later, they were safe inside a private medical clinic owned by one of Nico’s loyal cousins in Yonkers.
Dr. Vance lay strapped to an operating table, his shoulder cleaned and bandaged under local anesthesia.
He had given up every security code, perimeter layout, and shift schedule for the Saint Jude Sanitarium.
Sophie stood in the adjoining hallway, leaning against the cold tile wall.
Her hands were still shaking from the adrenaline of the firefight.
Nico walked out of the operating room, wiping a streak of black soot from his forehead.
He held a satellite phone and a printed architectural schematic of the mountain facility.
“Saint Jude is registered as a private neurological recovery center,” Nico explained, unrolling the schematic against the wall.
“In reality, it is a black-site holding facility funded by three syndicate families.”
“Corrupt state troopers on the payroll keep civilian traffic away from the access road.”
“There are twelve armed guards on duty during the night shift.”
Sophie looked at the floor plan, her eyes fixing upon a small room marked at the end of the third floor:
ROOM 308 — RESTRICTED MEDICAL ISOLATION.
“That’s where they keep her,” Sophie said, her voice dropping into a determined whisper.
“Sedated for three years.”
“Treated like a captive ATM so Matteo can bleed eighty million dollars from our family.”
Nico looked down at her, his expression softening slightly.
“You understand what happens if we storm this facility, Sophie?”
“This isn't a legal dispute anymore.”
“This is an act of total war against the Council.”
“If we fail, the state authorities will brand us as terrorists, and Matteo will finish off Ava before dawn.”
Sophie looked straight into Nico’s slate gray eyes without flinching.
“Claire is my sister.”
“Ava is my niece.”
“I’ve lived twenty-six years in the shadows thinking I was an abandoned mistake.”
“I’m not running anymore, Nico.”
Nico’s lips curved into a faint, grim smile.
“You really are a Romano.”
He turned toward Frank, who was loading fresh magazines into tactical vests in the corner.
“Call our assault team from upstate.”
“Eight men, suppressed carbines, night vision optics.”
“We hit the facility at three in the morning when the guard rotation is at its weakest.”
Before they departed, Nico connected a secure video feed to the safehouse at Blackwood Lake.
The screen on his tablet illuminated, revealing Ava sitting in the sunroom holding her stuffed bunny.
The little girl’s face lit up instantly when she saw Sophie on the screen.
“Sophie!” Ava cried, pressing her small fingers against the glass of the screen.
Sophie felt a profound ache in her chest as she leaned toward the camera.
“Hello, my brave girl,” Sophie said softly, struggling to keep her voice cheerful.
“Are the guards treating you like a princess?”
Ava nodded, then tilted her head with sudden seriousness.
“Uncle Nico?”
Nico leaned into the camera frame, his voice remarkably gentle.
“Yes, little bird?”
“Did you find the quiet castle in the pines?” Ava asked quietly.
Nico and Sophie exchanged a stunned, breathless glance.
“What did you say, Ava?” Nico asked carefully.
“The quiet castle,” Ava repeated, hugging her rabbit closer.
“Before Daddy died, he took me there once in the winter.”
“He made me wait in the car with Frank while he went inside to see Mommy.”
“He came back out crying.”
“He told me Mommy was sleeping under a magic spell and we had to wait for the prince to wake her.”
Sophie covered her mouth, her tears threatening to spill once again.
Julian had known.
Nico’s younger brother had discovered his wife was alive before he was killed.
“Julian didn't die of a drug overdose, did he?” Sophie whispered, looking up at Nico.
Nico’s jaw hardened until it looked like solid marble.
“Julian didn't touch drugs,” Nico replied, his voice vibrating with lethal certainty.
“He threatened to expose Matteo’s embezzlement.”
“Two days later, he was found dead in an alley behind a nightclub with a needle in his arm.”
“They murdered my brother.”
May you like
“They stole your sister.”
“And tonight, we settle the bill in full.”
