Chapter 4 - THE TICKING CLOCK
The letters FBI hung in the air like a death sentence.
Carmela sank into a chair, burying her face in her hands.
Sarah stared at the floor, shivering in her emerald dress.
Luca pulled his phone from his pocket. He dialed a number and held it to his ear.
“Marcus,” Luca said softly. “Intercept a package at the downtown sorting facility. The tracking number is...” He read the numbers off the crumpled receipt. “Do whatever it takes. Do not let that envelope get on a federal truck.”
He hung up and looked at Rachel.
Rachel was staring at her phone. She was hyperventilating.
“She won't answer,” Rachel sobbed, dialing her daughter’s number over and over. “Mia’s phone is off. Luca, if Anthony’s people realize she knows about the money, they’ll track her down.”
“Anthony doesn't have people anymore,” Luca said coldly. “He belongs to me now.”
Luca turned to his security chief. “Find the girl. Check the train manifests. Check the bus stations. I want Mia Santoro found and brought back to her mother immediately.”
“Yes, boss.”
I stood near the banquet table, my hands trembling. The reality of what was happening was setting in. I was a maid. I shouldn't be involved in a mafia financial scandal. I needed to leave.
I took a slow step backward toward the service hallway.
“Emily.”
Luca’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
He walked over to me. He wasn't looking at me like a boss looks at a servant. He was looking at me like an equal.
“You noticed the key,” Luca said. “You figured out the mail receipt. You protected a woman you didn't even know, risking your own job to do it.”
I swallowed hard. “I just hate bullies, sir.”
A ghost of a smile touched Luca’s lips.
“I need you to do something for me,” he said.
“What?”
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. He pressed it into my hand.
“I need you to take Rachel upstairs to the east guest room. Lock the door. Do not let anyone inside, especially my sister. Then, I need you to read that paper.”
I looked at the folded note in my hand.
“What is it?” I asked.
“It’s the list of names Anthony gave me last month,” Luca said quietly. “The people he claimed were stealing from me.”
I frowned. “Why do you want me to read it?”
“Because,” Luca whispered, “the last name on that list is your brother’s.”
My heart stopped.
My brother, Leo. He was nineteen. He was supposed to be in college.
“That’s impossible,” I choked out. “Leo doesn't even know you!”
“Go upstairs, Emily,” Luca ordered softly. “Keep Rachel safe. I’ll come for you when the house is secure.”
I grabbed Rachel’s arm. We bypassed Carmela and Sarah, heading straight for the grand staircase.
We reached the east guest room. I locked the heavy oak door behind us.
Rachel sat on the edge of the bed, crying silently into her hands.
I stood by the window, my fingers shaking violently as I unfolded the piece of paper Luca had given me.
There were five names typed on the page.
The first four were men I knew worked on the docks.
The last name was Leo Carter.
But there was a handwritten note next to Leo’s name. In Anthony’s handwriting.
Leverage for the maid. She knows too much about the vault.
A cold wave of nausea washed over me. Anthony hadn't just been stealing. He had framed my teenage brother to keep me quiet about the basement key.
Suddenly, my cell phone buzzed in my apron pocket.
It was a text message from an unknown number.
“If you show Luca that list, your brother doesn't come home tonight. Unlock the guest room door, Emily.”
May you like
I dropped the phone.
Someone else was working with Anthony. And they were inside the mansion.
