Chapter 13 - The Volcano in the Courtyard and the Unbreakable Vow
The following Saturday afternoon, the Westchester courtyard bore witness to an event that Arthur Vance swore he would never believe unless he saw it with his own eyes.
In the center of the manicured lawn, complete with safety goggles, a yellow hard hat that swallowed her entire head, and a very serious expression, three-year-old Maisie Ellis was preparing to launch her DIY science kit volcano.
Standing beside her, wearing an identical yellow hard hat and holding a gallon jug of white vinegar, was Roman DeLuca—the most feared syndicate boss on the eastern seaboard, looking entirely at peace while covered in papier-mâché and baking soda.
“Ready, Mr. Roman?” Maisie demanded importantly, holding her funnel over the crater of the volcano.
“Ready when you are, Captain,” Roman replied gravely, dropping down onto one knee in the grass.
“Pour the vinegar on my count. Three... two... one... go!”
Maisie upended the jug with enthusiastic abandon.
A massive, foaming geyser of pink-dyed vinegar and baking soda erupted from the papier-mâché crater, hissing and bubbling down the sides of the volcano onto the pristine grass.
Maisie squealed with delight, jumping up and down and clapping her hands.
“It worked! We made a sparky mountain!”
“Magnificent engineering,” Roman declared solemnly, high-fiving the toddler with his bandaged hand.
From the shaded veranda overlooking the courtyard, Nora Ellis leaned against the wooden railing, holding a cup of coffee, watching the scene unfold with a bright, radiant smile that reached her eyes.
Arthur Vance walked up beside her, holding a tablet displaying the morning intelligence reports from the remaining eastern syndicates.
“Everything is quiet in New York, Boston, and Providence,” Arthur reported quietly.
“Not a single whisper of dissent. The other families saw what happened to Marcone and Julian Cross. They know better than to test the new arrangement here.”
“Good,” Nora murmured, taking a sip of her coffee.
“Because Roman has other priorities right now, like advanced volcano chemistry.”
Arthur chuckled, sliding the tablet into his coat pocket.
“You know, Nora... when he brought you and Maisie into the main house after the fire, I honestly thought it was just a temporary debt being paid off.”
“And now?” Nora asked, turning her head to look at him with an amused eyebrow raised.
“Now,” Arthur smiled, shaking his head as he watched Roman help Maisie wash the pink foam off her hands with the garden hose.
“I realized something important. The day you and your daughter walked onto this estate, you didn't just save Roman DeLuca from a burning shed. You finally gave him a home worth fighting for.”
Nora looked back out toward the courtyard.
Roman had lifted Maising onto his shoulders, carrying the laughing little girl toward the veranda while the afternoon sun broke through the autumn clouds, bathing the entire estate in a warm, golden, eternal light.
May you like
She set her coffee mug down on the railing, walked down the steps to meet them, and slipped her hand securely into Roman’s.
The fire in the cedar shed was long gone, reduced to ash and memory, but the warmth it had left behind would burn in the DeLuca estate for a lifetime.
