Chapter 4 - The Path of Ashes
Rocco led them into the mountains, high into the jagged cliffs where the old mines had been abandoned during the war. He knew the terrain; Ray had left detailed notes about the geography of Cedar Hollow in the margins of his letter.
The pursuit was relentless. The sound of boots on shale and the distant crack of a suppressed pistol kept him moving. He was exhausted, his body aching from years of luxury now betrayed by the harsh reality of the wilderness.
He reached the mouth of an old mine shaft—the site where his own great-grandfather had initiated the first illegal land grab that had founded the Castellano fortune. It was poetic, and it was brutal.
Gino’s men closed in.
"Give it up, Rocco!" the enforcer yelled through the trees. "It’s over!"
Rocco pulled the letter from his vest—the decoy. He stepped into the clearing, holding it up like a trophy. "You want it? Come and get it."
He threw the letter into the dark, yawning mouth of the mine shaft.
The enforcer dived after it. It was a desperate, stupid move, but he was driven by the fear of Gino’s retribution. He scrambled into the shaft, his flashlight beam swinging wildly.
Rocco didn't wait. He collapsed the entrance with a heavy timber beam he had prepared earlier, trapping the enforcer in the dark.
He walked away, but he wasn't free. He was being hunted by his own past. He realized then that Gino wouldn't stop. The only way to stop the bloodshed was to return to Boston and confront the source.
But first, he went back to Cedar Hollow. He had to say goodbye to Clara.
He found her in the ruins of her bakery, which had been set ablaze during the pursuit. She was sitting on the steps, sifting through the ash.
"You’re leaving," she said, not looking up.
"I have to," Rocco said. "If I stay, they’ll kill you."
May you like
She stood up, her face smeared with soot, and walked over to him. She didn't offer bread this time. She offered a promise. "If you do this, if you destroy the foundation of your family, you won't have anything left. No money, no power. Nothing."
Rocco smiled—a genuine, tired smile. "I’ve spent my whole life surrounded by people who wanted to keep me, not love me. For the first time, I have the chance to be a man who belongs to no one."
