Chapter 5 - The Snake in the House
I didn't scream. I didn't panic.
I carefully set the poisoned syringe on the metal tray, capped the needle, and picked up the small glass vial. I looked toward the ceiling corner where the hidden camera lens gleamed in the dark.
I looked straight into the camera, pointed at the vial, and shook my head no.
Ten seconds later, the bedroom door opened silently. Lorenzo stepped inside, his hand resting on the grip of the pistol tucked beneath his armpit.
"What is it?" he whispered.
I pointed toward the IV line, then motioned for him to step out into the hallway. Once the door was closed, I held up the vial.
"Someone replaced her white cell booster," I said, my voice trembling with suppressed fury. "It’s laced with cyanide. If I had injected this into her port, her heart would have stopped within ninety seconds."
Lorenzo’s face transformed into something terrifying. The air in the hallway instantly plummeted into absolute zero.
"Who touched that tray tonight?" Lorenzo asked, his voice so quiet it was scarier than any shout.
"Only two people had access to the medical safe in the pantry," I answered. "Myself... and the night shift guard who brought up the delivery box from the pharmacy twenty minutes ago."
Lorenzo pulled out his radio. "Vincent. Secure all exits. Nobody leaves the compound. Bring nurse practitioner Miller and Marco to my study immediately."
Five minutes later, the atmosphere inside Lorenzo’s study was suffocating.
Marco stood near the fireplace, looking annoyed, while the young night shift nurse, Miller, was sweating profusely, his hands shaking as two armed guards stood behind him.
Lorenzo sat behind his desk, holding the poisoned vial between his thumb and forefinger.
"Miller," Lorenzo said softly. "You brought this vial up from the pharmacy drop at eleven-forty, correct?"
"Y-yes, Don Pellegrini!" Miller stammered. "I picked it up directly from the courier! I didn't open it! I swear!"
"Did you give it to anyone before placing it in the pantry?"
"N-no! Well... I mean..." Miller flicked his eyes nervously toward Marco for a fraction of a second. "...Mr. Marco checked the delivery bag in the hallway to make sure the seal wasn't broken."
"He checked it?" Lorenzo repeated smoothly.
"He's lying!" Marco shouted, stepping forward angrily. "Lorenzo, you're going to take the word of a low-level guard and a fake nurse over your own blood? She’s framing me! She brought that poison into this house!"
Lorenzo stood up slowly. He didn't look at Marco. He looked at me.
"Emma," Lorenzo said quietly. "Step behind my desk."
I walked behind his chair, standing close to his side.
Lorenzo reached into his suit pocket, pulled out a small black USB drive, and plugged it into his computer. He turned the monitor toward Marco.
"This is the internal feed from the pantry hallway at eleven-forty-five," Lorenzo explained.
On the screen, Marco was clearly visible standing over the medical delivery box. He pulled a small glass bottle from his jacket, swapped it with the original vial inside the insulated cooler, and shoved the real medicine into his pocket.
Marco’s face drained of every drop of color.
"You... you had cameras in the pantry corridor?" Marco breathed, stepping backward toward the door.
"I have cameras everywhere, Marco," Lorenzo whispered, stepping around his desk. "I let you think you were smarter than me for six months because I wanted to see how deep your betrayal went. You were leaking our shipping routes to the Moretti family. You arranged the ambush on my convoy last year."
Lorenzo took another step forward, his eyes burning with lethal, absolute authority.
"And now, you tried to kill my daughter so you could inherit the Pellegrini throne."
"Lorenzo, please! We're family!" Marco shrieked, pulling a hidden snub-nosed revolver from his ankle holster.
BANG!
A deafening shot echoed through the study.
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Before Marco could even raise his arm, Lorenzo had pulled his own sidearm and fired a single bullet straight through Marco’s right shoulder. Marco screamed, dropping his gun and collapsing onto the Persian rug, clutching his bleeding arm.
"Vincent," Lorenzo ordered without blinking. "Take him to the basement. Call the Moretti family and tell them their inside man has been retired."
