Chapter 4 - THE CHILD'S DRAWING IN THE DARK
I killed the cabin lights instantly.
"Lily, wake up," I whispered, shaking her gently. "We have to hide."
We crept into the narrow pantry closet. I held my breath as the front door creaked open.
Heavy footsteps crossed the floorboards.
"Find them," a man’s voice ordered. It wasn't Raymond. It was one of Cassandra’s personal bodyguards.
In the dark closet, Lily shoved a piece of paper into my hand.
"What is it?" I breathed.
"I found it in Cassandra's purse yesterday," she whispered back. "I was trying to find my mom's silver bracelet. Cassandra took it."
I used the sliver of moonlight filtering through the cracks to look at the paper.
It wasn't a drawing. It was a birth certificate.
Mother: Cassandra Vale.
Father: Raymond Romano.
The child in the photograph wasn't a secret. It was a motive. They weren't just trying to take Gabriel's empire. They were trying to steal Lily's inheritance for their own hidden child.
The pantry door knob rattled.
I pushed Lily behind me and grabbed a heavy cast-iron skillet from the shelf.
The door swung open.
Before the bodyguard could raise his flashlight, a massive figure stepped up behind him and smashed him over the head.
The guard collapsed.
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Standing over him, bleeding through his torn shirt, was Gabriel.
But he wasn't alone. And the man beside him made my stomach drop.
