Chapter 6 - THE TICKET TO SWITZERLAND IN THE ASHES
The shockwave knocked me off my feet.
The entire kitchen rattled as glass rained down around us. The red emergency strobes continued to flash, painting the dust and smoke in eerie, chaotic bursts of light.
Dominic shielded Sophie with his body, not moving until the roaring sound of the explosion faded into the wailing of the estate alarms.
Marco groaned, clutching his bleeding shoulder, leaning against the kitchen island.
“Stay down,” Dominic ordered, his voice remarkably calm.
He stood up, keeping Sophie tucked behind his leg. He picked up his gun from where Marco had dropped it.
I scrambled to my feet, my ears ringing.
“Maria?” I choked out, looking toward the shattered back door.
Dominic didn't answer. He moved slowly toward the threshold, scanning the dark patio.
The coroner’s van at the south gate was gone. In its place was a towering inferno of orange flames and thick, toxic black smoke. The blast had destroyed the heavy iron gates and reduced the vehicle to a burning skeleton.
And lying on the lawn, twenty yards away from the patio, was a body.
It was Adrian.
The shockwave had thrown him backward as he tried to run. He wasn't moving.
Dominic approached him slowly, his weapon raised.
He checked Adrian’s pulse.
Dominic stood up and looked back at us. He gave a single, sharp nod.
It was over.
I ran to Sophie, scooping her into my arms. She buried her face in my neck, trembling uncontrollably.
“You’re safe, baby,” I whispered, tears finally spilling over my cheeks. “You’re safe.”
Marco leaned heavily against the counter, coughing from the smoke.
“Where is Maria?” Marco asked.
Dominic looked out toward the burning wreckage. “She didn't make it to the blast radius. She triggered it from the patio.”
He pointed to the shadows near the edge of the terrace.
Maria was sitting on a stone bench, watching the flames. She looked entirely peaceful. The heavy coat she wore was dusted with ash, but she was unharmed.
Dominic walked over to her.
He didn't raise his gun. He simply stood beside the woman who had worked for his family for thirty years.
“It’s done,” Maria said quietly, not looking at him.
“You destroyed half my south wall, Maria,” Dominic said. His tone wasn't angry. It was almost gentle.
“It was an ugly wall,” she replied.
Dominic looked at the burning van. “The police will be here in three minutes.”
“I know.”
“They will arrest you for murder.”
Maria finally turned to look at him. She smiled a sad, exhausted smile.
“I am an old woman, Dominic. I have no family left. A prison cell is just a smaller laundry room.”
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crisp, white envelope.
She handed it to Dominic.
“But I don't want you explaining this to the police.”
Dominic frowned, taking the envelope.
He opened it.
Inside was a first-class airline ticket.
One way. Chicago to Geneva, Switzerland.
But it wasn't in Adrian’s name.
It was in Victoria Bellini’s name.
Dominic stared at the ticket.
“Victoria didn't know Adrian was going to kill me,” Dominic said, confusion tightening his features. “She thought he was sending Sophie to a clinic.”
“Victoria is a fool,” Maria said coldly. “She thought she was playing Adrian. But Adrian was playing her. He bought her this ticket yesterday.”
Maria stood up.
“Adrian wasn't going to let Victoria stay here and marry you, Dominic. He needed you broken. He needed you to believe your daughter was in a clinic, and your fiancée had abandoned you. He bought her this ticket to ensure she left the country the moment Sophie was taken.”
Answer one: Victoria wasn't a mastermind. She was a pawn, manipulated by Adrian’s promise of a clear path to Dominic, only to be discarded.
Open two: If Adrian bought Victoria a ticket to Switzerland... where was he taking Sophie?
Dominic looked at the ticket, his jaw clenching.
“Where was he taking my daughter, Maria?”
Maria looked away. “I don't know. He never told me.”
Before Dominic could press her further, the sound of heavy boots echoed from the front of the mansion.
“Chicago PD! Drop your weapons!”
Dozens of armed police officers flooded the backyard, their flashlights cutting through the smoke.
Dominic immediately dropped his gun, raising his hands to show he wasn't a threat. Marco did the same inside the kitchen.
I held Sophie tighter as two officers approached us.
“Are you hurt, ma'am?” one asked gently.
“No, we’re okay,” I said.
They arrested Maria without incident. She didn't fight. She simply held out her wrists and let them place the handcuffs on her.
As they led her away, she looked back at me and Sophie.
She didn't say a word, but her eyes conveyed a profound, tragic sense of relief.
The chaos of the next few hours was a blur. Paramedics treated Marco’s shoulder. Detectives questioned Dominic in the study.
I sat with Sophie in the grand living room, wrapped in blankets, waiting for the nightmare to end.
Just before dawn, Dominic walked into the living room.
He looked exhausted, the weight of the night pressing heavily on his shoulders.
He sat down on the coffee table in front of us.
He reached out and gently stroked Sophie’s hair. She was fast asleep, her head resting on my lap.
“Thank you, Hannah,” Dominic whispered. “You saved her life tonight.”
“I just did what anyone would do,” I replied softly.
Dominic shook his head. “No. You didn't run. You stayed.”
He looked at my hand, resting on Sophie’s back.
He noticed the cheap silver locket I had given Sophie to hold in the pantry. She was still clutching it in her sleep.
Dominic’s eyes widened.
He reached out and gently touched the locket.
“Where did you get this?” Dominic asked, his voice suddenly thick with emotion.
“My father gave it to me when I was a little girl,” I explained, confused by his reaction. “He bought it at a pawn shop in Ohio.”
Dominic stared at the locket.
He pressed a tiny, hidden latch on the side.
The locket popped open.
Inside wasn't a picture of my family.
It was a faded photograph of a young woman.
A woman who looked exactly like Grace.
Dominic looked up at me, his dark eyes wide with shock.
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“Hannah... this is my mother.”
TITLE: THE LOCKET FROM OHIO
