Chapter 4 - THE EMPTY VAULT
The SUV flew back toward the Moretti estate at a hundred miles an hour.
In the backseat, Luca gripped the silver pocket watch, his knuckles white.
Emily sat silently beside Daniel, clutching the dashboard. Her mind was a hurricane of terror for Leo and confusion over the Romanos.
"Who are they?" she finally asked, unable to stand the silence. "The Romanos?"
Luca looked up, his eyes hollow. "A rival family. Ten years ago, my father negotiated a peace treaty with them. It was a setup. They ambushed him. I killed their boss in retaliation. The remaining Romanos were exiled from Chicago."
"Then what is their watch doing in my apartment?"
"Vanessa’s maiden name isn't Bellini," Luca said grimly. "It’s Romano. She’s the boss's youngest daughter. She changed her name, altered her records, and spent three years playing the perfect socialite to infiltrate my family."
Emily’s breath hitched. "The brakes on the car... the engagement..."
"All a long con," Luca said. "To kill my mother, blame my staff, and leave me grieving and vulnerable."
"Boss," Daniel interrupted, pressing his earpiece. "I’ve got the estate on the line. The guards breached Isabella’s room."
Luca leaned forward. "Is she alive?"
"She's alive," Daniel said, exhaling sharply. "She’s safe. But..."
"But what?"
"Her safe is open. The wall safe behind the painting."
Luca froze. "What did she take?"
"Your mother says the only thing missing is a heavy brass key."
Luca leaned back against the leather seat, closing his eyes.
"The vault," he whispered.
"What vault?" Emily asked.
"My family owns a private bank downtown. Underneath it is a vault. It holds the ledger—the documents detailing every politician, judge, and union leader my family has bought over the last fifty years. If the Romanos get that ledger, they control the city. They destroy us entirely."
"That’s where she’s going," Daniel said, turning the steering wheel sharply to merge onto the downtown expressway. "She used Leo to get you out of the house, took the key while the guards were relaxed, and is heading to the bank."
"But where is Leo?" Emily cried out. "Is he with her?"
"If she has him, she has leverage," Luca said, his voice heavy with dread.
They reached the financial district in less than ten minutes.
The Moretti Private Bank was a fortress of limestone and iron.
The front doors were locked. The lights were out.
But as the SUV pulled up, Luca saw it.
One of the side security doors was propped open with a wedge of wood.
"Stay in the car," Luca ordered Emily.
"No." She grabbed the door handle. "If Leo is in there, I am not waiting."
Luca looked at her fierce, tear-stained face. He didn't argue.
"Stay behind me."
Luca and Daniel drew their weapons. They slipped through the side door, moving silently down the marble corridors.
Emily followed, ignoring the stabbing pain in her leg.
They descended the spiral staircase to the subterranean level.
The massive steel vault door was wide open.
Inside, the safety deposit boxes lined the walls like a honeycomb.
One box in the center was pulled out.
It was empty.
"We’re too late," Daniel cursed.
Luca stepped into the vault. He stared at the empty metal box.
But there was something left inside it.
A photograph.
Luca picked it up. He stared at it for a long, terrible moment.
"What is it?" Emily asked, limping into the vault behind him.
Luca slowly turned to face her. His expression was a mix of shock and profound sadness.
"It’s not a ledger, Emily."
He handed her the photo.
Emily took it with shaking hands.
It was an old Polaroid, slightly faded.
It showed two men standing in front of a familiar garage.
One man was Luca’s father, smiling broadly.
The other man had his arm slung around Mr. Moretti’s shoulders. He looked happy. He looked proud.
Emily dropped the photo as if it burned her.
It was her father.
Arthur Carter.
"I don't understand," Emily whispered. "My dad... my dad is a retired schoolteacher. He never knew your family."
"Yes, he did," a cold, echoing voice rang out from the shadows outside the vault.
Emily spun around.
Standing in the doorway was Vanessa.
She had traded her red silk engagement gown for dark clothes. She held a suppressed pistol in her right hand.
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And with her left hand, she was holding the collar of a terrified, crying six-year-old boy.
"Auntie Em!" Leo screamed.
