Chapter 8 - The Evanston Wire
The shrill ring of the secure satellite telephone cut through the quiet library like a tactical siren.
Luca rose to his feet with fluid, coiled precision, snatching the receiver before the second chime could echo.
"Speak," Luca ordered coldly.
Through the speaker, the harsh, staccato crackle of automatic gunfire erupted, punctuated by the screech of burning rubber.
"Boss, we have an active breach at the Evanston perimeter!" shouted Dominic, the senior operative stationed outside Northwestern University.
My breath seized in my throat, the honey water turning to pure acid in my stomach as the word Evanston registered.
Tommy.
My nineteen-year-old brother was asleep in his dormitory on that exact campus.
Luca’s posture shifted instantly from grieving brother to ruthless wartime commander.
"Status on the boy, Dominic!" Luca barked, hitting the speakerphone button so the entire room filled with the chaos of combat.
"He is secured in our armored Suburban, sir!" Dominic yelled over the deafening chatter of a machine pistol.
"A blacked-out Cadillac Escalade ambushed us three blocks from Foster Hall as we were escorting him to the extraction point."
"They weren't trying to assassinate him; they were carrying zip-ties, chloroform, and tactical stunners."
"Salvatore Bellini sent a snatch team to take him hostage!"
I lunged out of my armchair, knocking the crystal glass to the carpet, and grabbed Luca’s sleeve with both hands.
My bruised throat tore open as I tried to scream my brother's name, but only a dry, agonizing wheeze escaped my mouth.
Luca wrapped his left arm around my waist, holding me firmly against his side to keep me upright while maintaining the call.
"How many hostiles, Dominic?" Luca asked, his voice chillingly steady despite the gunfire rattling through the line.
"Four shooters, boss! Two are down on the pavement!" Dominic reported, breathing heavily.
"The driver is pinned behind an engine block, and the fourth man is attempting to flank through the alley!"
"We need secondary containment before the Evanston police arrive on the scene!"
Luca didn't waste half a second on hesitation.
He tapped a series of keys on his master terminal, bringing up the real-time satellite tracking map of northern Cook County.
"Frank," Luca spoke into his radio headset without releasing his grip on my trembling frame.
"Scramble Unit Three and Unit Four from the Skokie safehouse immediately."
"Intercept Dominic’s vehicle at the intersection of Green Bay Road and Central Street."
"Neutralize the pursuing vehicle, sanitize the intersection, and escort my transport directly through the north estate gates."
"Understood, Mr. Moretti," Frank’s gravelly voice replied through the comms.
"Estimated intercept time is three minutes."
Luca lowered the receiver and turned his full attention down to me, his dark eyes burning with reassurance.
"Emily, listen to my voice," he commanded softly, placing both hands on my shoulders and forcing me to breathe.
"Tommy is inside an armored vehicle with two inches of ballistic glass and reinforced steel plating."
"Dominic is a former naval combat specialist who has kept my family alive through three gang wars."
"Your brother is safe, and he will be standing in this room within twenty-five minutes."
I leaned against his chest, clutching the lapels of his suit jacket as violent tremors racked my entire body.
The sheer terror of losing Tommy—the last remaining piece of my family—was a suffocating darkness that threatened to consume my mind.
Luca didn't pull away; he stood there like an immovable fortress, wrapping his heavy arms around me in the silent library.
For fifteen agonizing minutes, the only sound was the crackle of the fireplace and the quiet hum of the surveillance terminals.
Then, the heavy radio on the desk crackled back to life with a burst of static.
"Boss, this is Dominic," the operative reported, his voice noticeably calmer.
"Unit Three made the intercept on Green Bay Road."
"The trailing vehicle has been pushed into a ditch; the surviving driver has been detained for questioning."
"We are passing through the security gates of the estate right now."
"The package is entirely unharmed, just shaken up."
A heavy, ragged sob tore out of my bruised chest, and my knees finally gave out completely beneath my weight.
Luca caught me before I hit the floor, lifting me effortlessly into his arms and setting me back down into the velvet armchair.
"He’s here, Emily," Luca whispered, his tone filled with quiet relief.
"He’s home."
Two minutes later, the reinforced oak doors of the library swung open, and Frank stepped inside, flanking a terrified young man.
Tommy stood in the doorway, wearing an oversized Northwestern gray hoodie, sweatpants, and untied sneakers.
His messy brown hair was disheveled, his face pale as chalk, and his hands were trembling uncontrollably.
"Emily?" Tommy cried out, his voice cracking with sheer adolescent terror.
I sprang from the chair, completely ignoring the screaming pain in my neck, and threw myself into my younger brother’s arms.
Tommy wrapped his arms around me, burying his face into my shoulder as he broke down in tears.
"They tried to take me, Em," Tommy sobbed, his voice muffled against my uniform.
"Some guy called my dorm phone claiming he was the campus dean, telling me our father’s estate paperwork had an emergency lien."
"When I walked outside, three men in ski masks jumped out of a black SUV."
"Then two guys in suits with guns pulled me into a truck and started shooting behind us."
I pulled back, running my hands frantically over his face, his shoulders, and his arms, checking for any signs of blood or injury.
When Tommy looked up and saw my face, his eyes widened in absolute, horrifying shock.
The bright library lights illuminated the vivid, mottled purple finger impressions branded across my neck.
"Emily... what happened to your neck?" Tommy gasped, his voice trembling with horror.
"Who did this to you?"
I shook my head, unable to speak, and simply pressed my forehead against his chest, holding him with every ounce of strength I had left.
Luca stepped forward from behind the desk, his towering presence immediately commanding the young man’s attention.
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"Your sister saved your life tonight, Tommy," Luca said, his deep baritone carrying the weight of absolute truth.
"And from this moment on, nobody in this city will ever touch either of you again."
