Chapter 4 - THE BLOOD ON THE CROWBAR
Madison backed away from the man she was supposed to marry in three days.
“David, what are you doing here?” she stammered, staring at the bloody crowbar in his hand. “How did you get past security?”
David stepped into the room and kicked the heavy steel door shut behind him. He looked completely unhinged.
“Security let me in,” he breathed heavily. “Maddie, we have to leave. Now. Before Luca comes upstairs.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you while you’re holding that!” Madison shouted, pointing at the crowbar.
David looked down at his hand as if he’d forgotten he was holding it. He quickly dropped it onto the carpet. It left a dark crimson stain on the white wool.
“It’s not my blood,” David said quickly. “It’s Marco’s.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. “You hit Marco?”
“He was going to lock you in here and trap you!” David pleaded, reaching for Madison. “Maddie, please listen to me. I got a call at the hospital an hour ago. It was from Vanessa.”
Madison froze. “Vanessa?”
“She was crying. She said Luca lost his mind at the dinner party and threw her out. She said Luca is dangerous, that he’s keeping you here as a hostage.”
“I’m not a hostage!” Madison yelled. “Dad is protecting me from Richard!”
“Richard is the one trying to save you!” David shouted back.
Silence filled the room.
Madison stared at her fiancé, betrayal washing over her face. “You spoke to my father?”
David swallowed hard. “He came to see me at the hospital. Yesterday. He showed me the police file from your mother’s crash, Maddie. The brake lines were cut. Luca murdered your mother to keep her quiet.”
“That’s a lie!” Madison screamed, covering her ears. “Dad loved her! He loved us!”
“Maddie, look at the facts!” David took another step forward. “Luca is mob. He runs half the port authority. You think he wouldn’t eliminate a wife who got too curious?”
I stepped between them. “David, you need to back off.”
He glared at me. “Stay out of this, Claire.”
On the security monitors behind them, I saw Luca still standing in the study with Richard. But Richard was laughing now, pointing a finger at the ceiling.
Richard knew David was up here.
This was a coordinated attack.
“David, Richard Vance is a monster,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “He abused Madison’s mother. He abused Madison. Why would you believe a word he says?”
David reached into his scrubs pocket. “Because he gave me this.”
He pulled out a small, tarnished silver key. Attached to it was a tiny metal tag with a four-digit number.
“Richard found this in Julia’s safety deposit box,” David said softly. “It’s the key to a locker at Union Station. He said Julia left evidence in there. Evidence that proves Luca was using her charity foundation to launder millions.”
Madison shook her head. “No. Mom would never.”
“Maddie, we need to go get the locker box,” David insisted, grabbing her wrist. “We take the evidence, we go to the FBI, and we get you away from this psycho.”
“Let me go!” Madison fought against his grip.
Suddenly, the heavy door flew open again.
Luca stood in the doorway.
He didn't yell. He didn't raise his weapon. He just looked at David’s hand wrapped around his daughter’s wrist.
“Let her go,” Luca said. His voice was deathly quiet.
David panicked. He lunged for the bloody crowbar on the floor.
He didn't even make it halfway down.
Luca crossed the room in a blur of motion. He grabbed David by the collar of his scrubs, hoisted him into the air, and slammed him against the concrete wall of the safe room.
David gasped for air, his feet dangling inches off the floor.
“Dad, don't hurt him!” Madison cried.
Luca didn't look at her. He stared directly into David’s terrified eyes.
“You broke into my house. You assaulted my man. And you put your hands on my daughter,” Luca whispered.
“He’s… he’s going to kill you,” David choked out.
Luca frowned. “Who?”
“Richard,” David gasped. “He’s not here for the money. He’s here for the ledger.”
Luca froze. His grip on David’s collar loosened slightly.
“What ledger?” Luca demanded.
“The one Julia hid,” David coughed. “The one that proves you killed her.”
Luca dropped David onto the floor. He turned toward Madison, a look of profound heartbreak in his eyes.
“Maddie, I swear to God on my life, I did not hurt your mother.”
Madison stood frozen, tears streaming down her face. She looked at the man who had raised her, and then at the man she was supposed to marry.
Then she looked at the silver key David had dropped on the floor.
She walked over and picked it up.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Madison said, her voice shaking but resolute. “We’re going to Union Station.”
Luca shook his head. “It’s a trap, baby. Richard wants us out of the house.”
“Then we walk into the trap.” Madison looked him dead in the eye. “Because if you don't take me to that locker right now, I will never call you Dad again.”
Luca stared at her. He saw the absolute determination in her eyes.
He nodded slowly. “Okay. We go.”
He turned around to lead the way out.
But as he did, I saw something that made my stomach drop.
Tucked into the back of Luca’s waistband, partially hidden by his suit jacket, was a folded piece of paper.
May you like
It was a printout of Union Station’s floor plan.
Luca already knew about the locker.
