Chapter 2
Gabriel stared at the portrait of his older brother, Leo.
Leo had died five years ago in a horrific boat explosion. Or so the entire family had been told. There had been a closed casket. A massive funeral. Gabriel had carried the coffin himself, his shoulder bruised from the weight of his grief.
Now, Gabriel slowly turned his gaze back to Vanessa.
The dining room was so quiet I could hear the rain lashing against the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Gabriel, he’s a child,” Vanessa laughed, though her voice shook violently. “He’s making up ghost stories. Mateo is dead, and Leo is dead. You buried them both.”
Gabriel didn't look at her. He looked down at my seven-year-old son.
“Ethan,” Gabriel’s voice was terribly calm, the kind of calm that comes right before a hurricane. “Tell me exactly what your daddy said about the man in the coffin.”
Ethan squeezed my hand, seeking permission. I gave it a gentle squeeze back.
“Daddy said the bad men wanted to shoot him at the gate,” Ethan said, his small voice echoing off the crystal glasses. “But a man with a burned hand pushed him out of the way. Daddy said the man with the burned hand went into the fire so Daddy could run away. And Daddy said you buried the man with the burned hand, but he wasn’t my daddy.”
Gabriel stopped breathing.
Leo’s right hand had been severely burned in a motorcycle accident when they were teenagers.
Vanessa’s champagne glass suddenly shattered against the marble floor. She had dropped it. Her hands were trembling uncontrollably.
“Clear the room,” Gabriel ordered.
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't have to. The thirty-six wealthy guests scrambled out of their chairs, rushing for the grand foyer without grabbing their coats. In less than a minute, the dining room was empty, save for Gabriel, Vanessa, Ethan, and me.
“Gabriel, you cannot believe this maid and her brat over me!” Vanessa shrieked.
Gabriel stepped toward her. “Who opened the gates, Vanessa?”
“I didn't! It was Mateo! He betrayed you!”
Before Gabriel could speak, Ethan reached into his small pocket.
“Daddy told me to give you this, too. But only if you listened to the compass.”
Ethan held out his hand. Sitting in his small palm was a tarnished silver key on a broken chain.
Gabriel looked at it, and the color completely drained from his face.
It was the key to the Moretti family’s private underground vault. Only three people had ever held a copy. Gabriel, his father, and Leo.
“My daddy said you should go to the dark room under the church,” Ethan whispered. “He said you’ll find out why the lady in the red dress hates him.”
Vanessa let out a feral scream. She lunged across the table, grabbing a heavy silver steak knife.
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She didn't aim for Gabriel. She lunged straight toward Ethan.
“You little liar, I’ll cut your tongue out!”
