Chapter 14 Shadow's Of Milan
The drive from Zurich to Milan took most of the night. The roads were wet, the mountains dark and quiet. Elena sat in the back seat, staring out the window as raindrops raced down the glass. The black ledger rested in her lap, heavy like a stone.
Luca drove with one hand on the wheel, the other near his gun. His eyes scanned the road through the rearview mirror. Anna sat beside him, holding a small tablet that showed the GPS route.
“We’ll reach Milan by dawn,” Luca said. “After that, we need a place to disappear.”
Elena looked up. “Do we still have contacts there?”
Anna nodded. “Yes. There’s someone your father trusted once—a banker named Marco Venturi. He runs a private safehouse in the old district. If he’s still loyal, he can help us.”
Luca grunted. “Or he could sell us to the highest bidder.”
Elena gave a tired smile. “Then we’ll find out which one he is.”
The rest of the ride passed in silence. Every time a car’s headlights appeared behind them, Luca’s hand tightened on his weapon. Every sound felt like danger.
As they crossed the Italian border, Anna exhaled in relief. “We’re in.”
But Elena didn’t feel safe. She knew borders meant nothing to the cartel. They had people everywhere—banks, police, airports, even inside CruzTech itself.
When they finally entered Milan, the sky was turning pale gray. The streets were almost empty. The car rolled past old buildings and narrow alleys until they stopped in front of a tall, faded villa covered in vines.
“This is it,” Anna said softly.
Elena stepped out, clutching her coat tighter against the cold. The front gate creaked as Luca pushed it open. Inside the courtyard, a man in his sixties appeared, holding a cane. He wore a dark robe and had sharp eyes that studied them carefully.
“Elena Cruz,” he said, his voice low but steady. “I never thought I’d see your face again.”
Elena smiled faintly. “Hello, Marco. I wish it were under better circumstances.”
He nodded and motioned them inside. The villa’s interior was elegant but old, filled with paintings, books, and the faint smell of coffee.
“You must be tired,” Marco said, leading them into a study. “But you didn’t come here for rest.”
Elena sat down and placed the ledger on the table. “I need to know if it’s real. If everything in this book can be proven.”
Marco’s eyes flickered. “Your father warned me about this day.”
“You knew?” she asked.
He nodded slowly. “He said one day his daughter would come here, running from ghosts he created. And that she would carry a book that could burn the world.”
Luca crossed his arms. “Then you know what’s at stake.”
Marco opened the ledger carefully, flipping through a few pages. “These codes, these numbers—they match offshore accounts tied to major corporations. But look here…” He pointed at a page filled with initials. “These are not random. They’re people. High-ranking ones. Some still in power.”
Elena leaned forward. “Can we expose them?”
Marco closed the book. “You could. But it would start a war—between governments, between families. Your father understood that. That’s why he never did it.”
Elena felt anger rise in her chest. “He also killed people to protect it.”
Marco looked at her sadly. “And you think you can do better?”
Before Elena could answer, Luca’s phone buzzed. He checked the screen—and his face turned pale.
“What is it?” she asked.
“They found us.”
Marco stood up. “Impossible. This place is hidden.”
Luca showed the phone. The screen displayed a live camera feed from the villa’s gate—two black SUVs had just stopped outside.
Anna gasped. “Viktor’s men?”
Luca nodded. “Has to be.”
Elena grabbed the ledger and stuffed it into her bag. “We need to move—now.”
Marco hurried toward a hidden door behind the bookshelf. “There’s a back passage that leads to the canal. You can escape through there.”
Luca peered through the window. “Too late. They’re already coming in.”
Gunfire shattered the front glass. Bullets tore through the study. Everyone ducked as wood splintered across the room.
“Down!” Luca shouted.
Anna screamed as a bullet hit the lamp beside her. Elena crawled behind the desk, pulling Anna down with her.
“Go through the tunnel!” Marco shouted. “I’ll hold them off!”
Elena shook her head. “No—”
He gave her a firm look. “You carry the truth now. Don’t waste it.”
Then he picked up a pistol from his drawer and limped toward the hallway. The sound of gunfire grew louder.
Elena felt tears sting her eyes. “We can’t just leave him.”
Luca grabbed her wrist. “We don’t have a choice.”
He pushed open the hidden door, revealing a narrow staircase that led underground. Anna ran first, clutching the tablet. Elena followed, her heart breaking with every shot that echoed behind them.
They moved through a dark tunnel that smelled of damp stone. The sound of footsteps and shouts followed from above.
At the end of the tunnel was a small wooden door. Luca forced it open, and cold night air rushed in. They stumbled out onto the edge of the canal.
A small boat floated nearby, tied to a post.
“Get in!” Luca ordered.
They climbed in quickly. Luca untied the rope and started the motor. The boat glided away just as more men appeared at the tunnel entrance, firing into the water.
Bullets hit the surface around them, sending up sprays. Elena ducked low, clutching the ledger to her chest.
“Hold on!” Luca shouted as he steered sharply into the dark canal.
They raced under old stone bridges and past dim lights reflecting on the water. The noise of gunfire slowly faded behind them.
Finally, when they were sure no one was following, Luca slowed down.
Anna’s voice trembled. “Marco… he didn’t make it, did he?”
Elena stared at the dark water. “He knew what he was doing.”
Luca looked at her. “We can’t keep running forever. We need allies.”
Elena nodded slowly. “There’s someone in Rome. My mother’s lawyer. She used to handle my father’s legal files before she disappeared. If anyone can decode what’s left of this, it’s her.”
Anna frowned. “You think she’s still alive?”
“I don’t know,” Elena whispered. “But she’s all we have.”
The sun began to rise over Milan, painting the water gold. Elena looked down at the ledger in her hands. The cover was torn, the pages soaked at the edges. But inside it held the truth—the truth that could end everything her family built.
She took a deep breath. “We go to Rome.”
Luca nodded. “Then Rome it is.”
As the boat moved silently through the mist, Elena felt something shift inside her. Fear was still there—but now it mixed with resolve.
She wasn’t just running anymore.
She was hunting.