Contents
Chapter 15
Overview
Keres confronts Dante, Lorenzo, and Max in an abandoned church, leveraging kidnapped Mia to force the Morettis to find the other trafficking coordinator. Lorenzo reveals Mia is pregnant, heightening stakes. Keres permits a brief call to prove Mia’s safety and extracts a promise of immediate resources and a lead by tomorrow.
Summary
Keres enters a derelict church to face Dante and Lorenzo Moretti and their enforcer, Max DiMarco, while Ace and Romeo wait outside. She asserts control by reminding them that Mia’s fate depends on Keres remaining alive, provoking Lorenzo into grabbing her throat until she warns of a one-hour check-in fail-safe.
When Lorenzo vows brutal retribution, he reveals Mia is pregnant, shocking Keres and sharpening her internal resolve not to harm a child. Keres demands the identity of the second coordinator who handled trafficking alongside Oscar Lang. The brothers deny involvement in their father’s trade and claim the culprits were already eliminated, but Keres insists another man remains at large.
Lorenzo offers to find the man if Keres returns Mia; Keres refuses, demanding results first. Dante proposes cooperation if Mia is returned unharmed, which Keres rejects as a trap. To compel action, Lorenzo demands proof of life. Calculating the risk to Phoenix, Keres allows a one-minute call. Lorenzo speaks to Mia, confirming she’s alive.
Privately, Keres orders Phoenix to ensure Mia’s and the baby’s safety, reaffirming her moral line. Back with the men, she presses for a timeline. Lorenzo demands everything Keres knows and promises to deliver a lead by tomorrow using their resources. Keres accepts the deadline, planning to exploit their help to find the coordinator before moving to destroy the Moretti empire.
Who Appears
- KeresProtagonist; leverages kidnapped Mia to force Morettis to find a trafficking coordinator; allows proof-of-life call; draws a line about harming children.
- Lorenzo MorettiMafia leader and Mia’s husband; violent, desperate; reveals Mia’s pregnancy; promises resources and a lead by tomorrow.
- Dante MorettiHead of the Cosa Nostra; tries to negotiate Mia’s return for cooperation; supports Lorenzo and agrees to help find the coordinator.
- Max DiMarcoEnforcer; mostly silent presence; briefly speaks before Dante silences him; protective of Mia.
- Mia MorettiKidnapped, pregnant; heard during proof-of-life call, confirming she’s alive; central leverage.
- PhoenixKeres’s ally holding Mia; sends photo proof; agrees to protect Mia and the baby.
- AceMoretti associate; waits outside with Romeo, seething as Keres outmaneuvers them.
- RomeoMoretti associate; observes from outside, unable to intervene against Keres’s leverage.