Rocco Moretti left town as the rain began to intensify. He stopped at an abandoned store to make a phone call when he heard a girl’s voice standing next to him.
“Uncle, buy my bike, please,” she said, handing over the old, rusty bicycle. The rain had soaked her thin coat, and her face was pale, her eyes full of fatigue.
“Why are you here alone?” Rocco asked.
“Mom hasn’t eaten for days. I’m selling my bike to buy her bread,” the girl answered quietly.
“How long has she been without food?”
“Since those men came… They said Mom owed money. They took everything: furniture, clothes, even my little brother’s crib,” the girl’s voice broke.
Rocco felt a cold sensation in his chest. He recognized these men—they were his men. The girl said one of them was from his gang.
“Where is your mom?” he asked.
“At home… she’s too weak to get up.”
Rocco handed her the keys to his car. “Get in the car, I’ll help.”
On the way, the girl told her how they lived in a dilapidated house, empty of furniture and food. Rocco brought her to the house where her mother lay lying on old blankets.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you,” Rocco said after listening to her story about how his name had been used to extort money.
He promised to restore the power, bring groceries, and pay for her treatment. As he left the house, his face was grim. He knew who was behind it—Vincent Caruso, his henchman, who had decided to use his name to commit the robbery.
Rocco began looking for Vincent, but Vincent didn’t realize his time was up. That evening, Rocco made a decision: Vincent would return everything he had stolen.
