Chapter 7 - THE TRAIN TICKET IN THE GLOVEBOX
I climbed into the passenger seat of the black sedan. Sofia drove, her hands shaking on the steering wheel, while Teresa sat in the back, holding Lily securely in her lap.
“Where are we going?” I asked, looking out the window as we sped past the city limits.
“Back to the estate,” Sofia said, her voice hardening.
“Are you crazy?” I turned to her. “Vanessa’s men are everywhere. Luca and Donato are shooting up my house. We have the money and passports. We should run.”
“I’m done running,” Sofia said, accelerating onto the highway. “I ran for three years because I thought my brother wanted my child dead. But tonight, I saw Luca jump into a freezing lake to save a bundle of blankets he thought was Lily. He didn't know. He never knew.”
Answer one: Sofia realized Luca was innocent because she had been watching from the kitchen window.
Open two: If we return, how do we prove Vanessa's guilt to the rest of the syndicate?
I opened the glovebox to look for a map.
Instead, a piece of heavy cardstock fluttered onto my lap.
I picked it up. It was a one-way first-class airplane ticket to Zurich, Switzerland.
The passenger name was Vanessa Bellini. And there was a second ticket clipped behind it.
Passenger name: Lily Moretti.
Reversal: Vanessa hadn't planned on raising the child in Chicago with Luca. She had planned to steal the baby, flee the country with Luca’s money, and disappear.
“Look at this,” I said, handing the tickets to Sofia. “She was going to leave him.”
Sofia glanced at the tickets, her jaw tightening. “Vanessa transferred twenty million dollars out of the syndicate’s offshore accounts this morning. She used my old clearance codes. She framed me for the theft, planned to kill Luca tonight, and take my daughter as her prize.”
“How do you know all this?” I asked.
“Because Michael told me,” Sofia said quietly.
I stared at her. “Michael? But Michael was helping her.”
“Michael was playing her,” Teresa spoke from the backseat, her voice rough. “My son is many things—jealous, bitter, reckless. But he is not a child killer. When Vanessa came to him with her plan, he agreed so he could get close enough to intercept the baby.”
Tears pricked my eyes. I remembered Michael standing in the alley, pushing the music box into my hands. Run, Hannah.
“He stayed behind to stop her,” I whispered, realizing the horrifying truth of the two gunshots I had heard. “Sofia… Vanessa shot him.”
Sofia gripped the steering wheel so tightly the leather creaked. A single tear rolled down her cheek.
“I know,” she choked out. “That’s why we’re going back. To make sure she doesn't get away with it.”
We pulled up to the massive wrought-iron gates of the Moretti estate. The guards were gone. The gates were wide open.
As we drove up the long, winding driveway, the mansion came into view.
It was absolute chaos.
Police cars, black SUVs, and ambulances flooded the lawn. Red and blue lights flashed aggressively against the white marble pillars.
Sofia slammed the car into park. We all scrambled out.
I saw Luca standing near an ambulance, a paramedic wrapping a bandage around his bleeding arm. When he saw the black sedan pull up, he froze.
His eyes locked onto Sofia.
“Sofia,” Luca breathed, pushing the paramedic away and running toward us.
Sofia didn't hesitate. She ran into her older brother’s arms, sobbing against his chest. Luca held her so tightly he lifted her off the ground, burying his face in her neck.
“I’m so sorry,” Luca wept. “I didn't know. I swear to God, I didn't know.”
“I know, Luca,” she cried. “I know.”
Teresa walked forward, holding Lily.
Luca pulled back from Sofia and looked down at the little girl. He slowly fell to his knees on the gravel.
Lily looked at him with wide, curious eyes.
“Are you Uncle Luca?” the toddler asked in a tiny, sweet voice.
Luca choked out a sob, reaching out a trembling hand to gently touch her cheek. “Yes, principessa. I’m Uncle Luca.”
But the beautiful moment was shattered by a loud, piercing scream from the front steps of the mansion.
We all turned.
Vanessa was being dragged out of the front doors in handcuffs by two federal agents. Her red dress was ruined, her makeup smeared down her face like blood.
When she saw us standing together, she stopped struggling.
Her eyes locked onto Lily.
“She’s mine!” Vanessa shrieked, fighting against the agents with terrifying strength. “She belongs to me! You don't deserve her, Sofia! You’re a whore who slept with a cop!”
Luca stood up, his face hardening into absolute stone. He walked slowly toward the steps.
“Mr. Moretti, let us handle this,” one of the agents warned.
Luca ignored him. He stepped right up to Vanessa, looking down at her pathetic, trembling form.
“Where is my brother?” Luca asked softly.
Vanessa smiled, a cruel, bloody grin.
“He’s dead, Luca,” she spat. “I put a bullet right through his heart. He died in a filthy alley, just like he deserved.”
My stomach dropped. I covered my mouth to keep from screaming.
May you like
But then, a voice echoed from the shadows of the doorway behind Vanessa.
“You’re a terrible shot, Vanessa.”
