CHAPTER 76 — THE WAREHOUSE OF LIES
CHAPTER 76 — THE WAREHOUSE OF LIES
DONOVAN’S POV
I stood on the roof of the building across from the old Lancaster warehouse, watching the clock tick down to noon. Violet was in the van below with Alistair and Damien, getting ready to go in.
My men were positioned all around the area, on rooftops, in alleys and hidden in every shadow we could find.
But I knew Marco Moretti would have his own men everywhere.
“Are you sure about this?” Damien asked, standing beside me with a pair of binoculars pressed to his eyes.
“She could get killed in there.”
“I know,” I said, scanning the warehouse with my own eyes.
“But she’s right, we don’t have a choice. He has her father, and he’ll kill him if we don’t play his game.”
Alistair joined us.
“I checked the hospital records again,” he said quietly. “Violet's father didn’t just wake up on his own. Someone gave him medication to reverse the coma and it's someone who had access to restricted drugs. Eleanor Lancaster was there when it happened.”
“So she’s been planning this too,” I said, feeling anger burn hot in my chest. All this time we’d thought she was a victim, but she’d been working with Marco every step of the way.
Violet got out of the van and started walking toward the warehouse doors. She was wearing a dark suit, her hair pulled back tight, She looked strong, but I could see her hands shaking as she walked.
I picked up the radio. “All units, stay hidden until I give the signal. If anything goes wrong, move in fast but don’t shoot unless you have to. We need to get George and Violet out alive.”
Violet reached the warehouse doors and pushed them open. They swung inward with a loud creak that echoed across the empty street. I watched her disappear inside, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Inside the warehouse, it was dark and dusty. Sunlight streamed through broken windows, it's reflection shining through the room.
Marco Moretti stood in the middle of the room, flanked by six of his men. Violet's father was sitting in a chair behind him, looking tired but alert. Eleanor stood beside him, her face calm.
“Violet,” Marco said, his voice echoing off the high ceilings. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a very long time.”
“Let my dad go,” Violet said, stopping ten feet from him. “I came like you asked.”
Marco smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “First things first, my dear. Let’s talk about who you really are.”
He pulled out a stack of papers and spread them across a wooden crate. “Your grandfather didn’t just work with the Gray Circle, he founded it. Along with my father and Donovan’s grandfather. They built this city from nothing, but then greed took over."
"Donovan’s grandfather wanted it all for himself, so he attempted to kill my father or so everyone thinks.”
Violet looked at her mother, who just nodded slowly.
“It’s true,” Eleanor said quietly.
“Your grandfather didn’t kill Marco’s father. They made a deal that Marco Sr. would fake his death so that Donovan’s grandfather could take over the Gray Circle, and in return, when the time was right, the Morettis would get everything back.”
“That time is now,” Marco said, stepping forward. “You’re the only one who can make it happen, Violet. You’re Lancaster blood on your father’s side, Moretti on your mother’s. Marry me, and we’ll merge all three families into one. You’ll be the face of the new Gray Circle, and I’ll be the power behind the throne.”
Violet laughed, a sharp sound.
“Marry you? After everything you’ve done? You killed good men. You manipulated and kept my mother hidden from me.”
“All for this moment,” Marco said calmly.
“Think about it, with our combined power, we could build something bigger than anyone’s ever imagined. No more fighting between families. No more secrets. It'll be just us, ruling this city the way it was always meant to be ruled.”
Just then, the warehouse doors slammed shut behind Violet
Marco pulled out a gun and pointed it at George’s head. “Choose carefully, Violet,” she said, her voice cold.
“Your father’s life is in your hands.”
Then suddenly, the floor beneath Marco’s feet gave way. He fell through with a shout, landing hard in a dark hole below. His men spun around, reaching for their guns, but before they could move, a slim figure in mask dropped down from the rafters above, knocking two of them out cold with a heavy metal pipe.
At the same time, the warehouse doors burst open again. Damien led my men inside, and Alistair ran straight to George, cutting his bonds and checking him over.