THE MAFIA BOSS WATCHED ME PULL HIS TWELVE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER'S LONG BROWN BRAID OUT OF THE TRASH BESIDE HIS ENGAGEMENT TABLE—THEN HIS FIANCÉE SAID, “SHE ASKED ME TO CUT IT OFF,” BEFORE HE EVEN ASKED WHY THE LITTLE GIRL WAS CRYING, HER HAIR HANGING UNEVENLY AROUND HER FACE

"If you touch my mother, I will kill you myself," I whispered.

My voice was shaking, but the threat was absolutely real. I had spent my entire adult life working to keep my mother safe after my father abandoned us. I sent every spare dime to her care.

Vanessa just laughed. The sound was thin and desperate.

"You're a maid, Emma. You fold sheets. You don't make threats. Two minutes. Bring Lily to the back alley, or your mother dies."

The line went dead.

I stared at the phone. Panic clawed at my throat.

I looked down at Lily. The twelve-year-old girl was sleeping peacefully on my lap, her tear-stained cheeks finally relaxed. She had already lost her hair, her dignity, and potentially her mother tonight.

I couldn't hand her over to a monster.

But my mother. My disabled mother was sitting in her apartment, completely defenseless.

Answer One: Vanessa had anticipated Luca's reaction and had a backup plan involving leverage against the staff.

Open Two: How did Vanessa have the resources to hire men to threaten my mother so quickly? Was she working with someone else in Luca's world?

I looked out the tinted window of the SUV. Luca's security guards were stationed at the front gate, facing outward. They weren't looking at the car.

I gently slid out from under Lily, resting her head on a plush leather pillow.

"Stay asleep, sweetheart," I prayed silently.

I unlocked the heavy door and slipped out into the freezing Chicago night.

I didn't walk toward the back alley.

I walked straight toward the largest, most intimidating security guard standing near the clinic's entrance. His name was Marco. I had served him coffee in the estate kitchen dozens of times.

"Marco," I said, my voice urgent.

He looked down at me, surprised. "Emma. The boss said stay in the car."

"Vanessa just called me," I said, speaking rapidly. "She said she has men at my mother's apartment on 4th Street. She told me to bring Lily to the back alley, or she'll kill my mom."

Marco's eyes narrowed. "She's trying to draw the kid out."

"I know. But my mother—"

"I'm on it," Marco said instantly. He tapped his earpiece. "Bravo team, we have a credible threat at an employee's residence. 4th Street, second floor. Move in immediately. Lethal force authorized."

He looked back at me. "My guys are three blocks from there. They'll secure your mother in ninety seconds. Get back in the car, Emma."

Relief washed over me so powerfully my knees almost buckled. "Thank you."

I turned to go back to the SUV, but suddenly, the heavy glass doors of the clinic flew open.

Luca stormed out.

He looked like a man possessed. His eyes were wild, his suit jacket discarded. He was holding a doctor by the collar of his white coat, literally dragging the man down the concrete steps.

"Where is she?!" Luca roared, slamming the doctor against the side of the building.

"I don't know!" the doctor pleaded, holding his hands up. "Miss Bellini signed her out an hour ago! She had the legal guardianship papers! I couldn't stop her!"

"You pumped my ex-wife full of sedatives and handed her over to a psychopath!" Luca yelled, pulling a sleek black handgun from his waistband and pressing it directly under the doctor's chin.

I gasped, covering my mouth. I had known Luca was a mafia boss, but I had only ever seen the polite, quiet father who loved his daughter. This was the monster who ruled the underworld.

"Mr. Moretti!" I yelled, running forward.

Luca's head snapped toward me. "Emma! I told you to stay in the car!"

"Vanessa called me," I said, ignoring the gun. "She told me to bring Lily to the back alley. She's here, Mr. Moretti. Vanessa is still here."

Luca froze.

He slowly lowered the gun, dropping the terrified doctor to the ground.

"The back alley?" Luca repeated softly.

He didn't run. He moved with a terrifying, predatory calmness.

"Marco. With me," Luca ordered. "Emma, get in the car and lock it."

I ran back to the SUV, climbing into the backseat just as Lily began to stir.

"Miss Emma?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Is Daddy back?"

"He's coming, sweetheart," I said, pulling her into my arms.

Outside, Luca and Marco vanished around the side of the brick building.

The silence stretched for three agonizing minutes.

Then, a single gunshot rang out.

Lily screamed, burying her face in my chest.

"Shh, shh, it's okay," I lied, my own heart hammering.

Five minutes later, footsteps crunched on the gravel.

Luca emerged from the shadows.

He wasn't carrying a gun anymore.

He was carrying a woman in his arms.

She was wrapped in a hospital blanket, her head resting against his chest. Her dark hair was cut short, growing back from chemotherapy, and her face was incredibly pale.

It was Caroline.

Luca walked to the SUV and I threw the door open.

"Mommy!" Lily shrieked, scrambling over the seats.

Luca gently laid Caroline across the middle row of seats. Caroline's eyes fluttered open. She looked confused, heavily drugged, but when she saw Lily, a weak, beautiful smile spread across her face.

"My baby," Caroline whispered, reaching up with a shaking hand.

Lily threw herself onto her mother's chest, sobbing hysterically. "Mommy! Mommy, I'm so sorry! I wanted you there! I didn't mean to make you sad!"

Caroline stroked Lily's uneven hair, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "You never make me sad, my brave girl. Never."

I looked up at Luca. He was standing in the open doorway of the car, watching them. His eyes were red.

"Where is Vanessa?" I asked quietly.

Luca looked at me. His expression was completely blank.

"She won't be calling you again, Emma."

I swallowed hard. I didn't ask any more questions.

"Let's go home," Luca said, getting into the front seat.

We drove back to the estate in silence, the only sound the quiet weeping of a mother and daughter finally reunited.

When we arrived, the estate was heavily guarded. I helped Caroline out of the car. She was weak, barely able to walk.

"Emma," Luca said as we entered the grand foyer. "Put Caroline in the guest suite next to Lily's room. Make sure she has everything she needs."

"Yes, sir."

"And Emma?"

I turned.

"Marco's team secured your mother. She's safe. They're moving her to a secure hotel downtown. All expenses paid."

Tears pricked my eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Moretti. Thank you so much."

He nodded once, then walked toward his study, shutting the heavy oak doors behind him.

I helped Caroline upstairs. She was exhausted, the sedatives still heavily affecting her. I helped her change into a soft nightgown and tucked her into the plush guest bed. Lily immediately curled up beside her, refusing to let go of her mother's hand.

I turned off the bedside lamp and quietly backed out of the room.

I needed to clean up. My uniform was wrinkled, and I was exhausted.

I walked into the large upstairs laundry room to gather some fresh towels for the morning.

As I reached into the hamper, my hand brushed against something heavy hidden beneath a pile of discarded linens.

I pulled it out.

It was a man's thick wool coat.

I frowned. It belonged to Luca. Why was it hidden in the laundry hamper?

I picked it up, and as I did, something fell out of the deep inner pocket.

It hit the tile floor with a metallic clink.

I bent down and picked it up.

It was a small, silver digital audio recorder.

Curiosity overrode my exhaustion. I pressed the play button.

There was a crackle of static, and then a voice spoke.

But it wasn't Vanessa's voice.

It was Luca's.

"Vanessa did exactly what I told her to do," Luca's recorded voice said coldly. "Caroline is out of the way. Once the wedding is finalized, Lily will forget her, and I'll have full custody. Pay Vanessa her bonus, and ensure the clinic keeps Caroline heavily sedated."

The recorder slipped from my fingers, clattering onto the floor.

I couldn't breathe.