Chapter 6 - THE GHOST IN THE GARDEN
The word hung in the cold night air, fragile and impossible.
Mommy.
Anthony broke my grip and ran forward, stumbling over the wet grass.
The woman in the black coat dropped to her knees, opening her arms just in time to catch the little boy. She buried her face in his neck, sobbing violently as she held him.
Isabella Moretti was alive.
Answer One: The letters were real. Isabella had survived the crash and remained in hiding to protect her son.
Vanessa’s confident smile shattered instantly. The silver revolver in her hand lowered slightly as she stared at the woman she had spent three years trying to replace.
“You’re supposed to be dead,” Vanessa whispered, her voice shaking with a mix of fury and terror.
Isabella looked up. Her eyes were hard, sharp, and utterly devoid of fear.
“You really thought a Romano could kill me?” Isabella said, standing up, keeping Anthony safely tucked behind her legs. “I grew up in this world, Vanessa. I knew your father ordered the hit. I knew Marcus was paid to look the other way.”
I stood frozen, my gun still raised.
Open Two: How did Isabella know to come here tonight? And what happened to Dominic in the fire?
The four Romano men in dark suits raised their weapons, pointing them directly at Isabella and Anthony.
My heart seized.
“Kill them both,” Vanessa ordered, her voice shrill. “Before Dominic’s backup arrives.”
But the reversal came from the darkness behind us.
“Nobody is shooting anyone,” a deep, gravelly voice echoed.
The back gates of the estate swung open, and two dozen armed men poured into the driveway, surrounding the Romano SUV in seconds.
At the center of the men walked Dominic.
He was covered in soot, his white dress shirt torn and stained with ash. He was breathing heavily, holding a heavy shotgun in his right hand.
He had survived the fire.
Dominic’s eyes locked onto Isabella.
For a terrifying, agonizing moment, neither of them moved. The husband who had mourned for three years, and the wife who had faked her death to protect him.
Dominic lowered his shotgun slowly.
“Isabella,” he choked out.
She gave a small, tearful nod. “I’m so sorry, Dom. I had to make them believe it. It was the only way to keep Anthony safe.”
Dominic closed his eyes, his broad shoulders shaking with the weight of three years of grief finally leaving his body.
Vanessa realized the situation was entirely out of her control.
She was surrounded. Her leverage was gone.
Desperation took over.
Vanessa grabbed the nearest Romano guard, shoved him toward Dominic’s men, and bolted toward the expansive glass greenhouse at the edge of the property.
“Don’t let her go!” Isabella screamed.
Dominic didn’t hesitate. He raised his shotgun and fired a warning shot into the air.
The four Romano men immediately dropped their weapons, raising their hands in surrender. They were paid thugs; they weren't going to die for Vanessa.
Dominic looked at me.
“Clara. Watch my family.”
He didn’t wait for my answer. He sprinted after Vanessa toward the greenhouse.
I looked at Isabella, who was clutching Anthony tightly.
“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice shaking.
“I’m fine,” Isabella said, looking at me with intense gratitude. “My contact told me about the housekeeper who wouldn’t quit looking for the truth. You saved my son. I owe you my life.”
I didn’t have time to process her words.
A loud, shattering crash came from the greenhouse.
I looked toward the massive glass structure. The interior lights flickered on, revealing silhouettes moving violently through the exotic plants.
“Dominic went in alone,” I said, panic rising in my chest.
Vanessa was cornered, and cornered animals were the most dangerous.
I looked at the heavy pistol in my hand. I had already shot a man tonight. I was no longer just the girl who poured coffee.
“Stay here,” I told Isabella.
I ran across the lawn, my black uniform shoes slipping on the wet grass, heading straight for the glowing glass house.
I pushed through the heavy iron doors of the greenhouse.
The air inside was thick, humid, and smelled strongly of fertilizer and exotic orchids.
“Dominic!” I called out cautiously.
Silence.
I moved slowly down the central aisle, keeping my gun raised, my eyes scanning the dense foliage.
Suddenly, a heavy terracotta pot crashed onto the stone path right in front of me, shattering into pieces.
I spun around.
Vanessa stepped out from behind a massive palm tree.
She didn’t have her gun anymore.
Instead, she was holding a heavy glass bottle filled with a yellow liquid, and a silver cigarette lighter.
Fertilizer and fuel. A homemade explosive.
“Where is Dominic?” I demanded, pointing my gun at her chest.
Vanessa laughed. A manic, broken sound.
“He’s taking a nap in the orchids,” she sneered, pointing toward the back of the greenhouse.
I glanced quickly and saw Dominic lying motionless on the ground, blood pooling from a wound on his head. She had hit him with something heavy.
“It’s over, Vanessa,” I said, steadying my hands. “Your men surrendered. Isabella is back. You have nothing.”
Vanessa’s smile widened, her eyes gleaming with absolute madness.
“I have this,” she whispered, flicking the silver lighter. A small flame danced in the humid air.
“I couldn’t have Dominic,” Vanessa said softly, “so nobody gets him. We all burn together.”
May you like
She raised the glass bottle to throw it directly at Dominic’s unconscious body.
And I pulled the trigger.
