THE SOUND BEHIND THE LOCKED DOOR

The hallway to the East Wing was supposed to be empty, stripped for new flooring. Instead, it smelled like stale air and ammonia.

Luca didn’t bother asking for the key. He stepped back and kicked the heavy oak doors right at the lock. Wood splintered, and the doors flew open.

I stayed near the back, my heart hammering against my ribs, while the guards fanned out. Vanessa was right beside me, breathing heavily, her eyes darting around like a trapped animal.

“Luca, please, you don’t understand,” she pleaded, her voice trembling.

At the end of the hall, the door to the old nursery was slightly ajar.

Luca pushed it open.

Sitting on the bare mattress in the corner, clutching his knees to his chest, was a little boy. Leo. He looked thinner than the framed photos downstairs, his dark hair messy, his eyes wide with terror.

In his tiny hands, he was gripping a heavy silver watch, holding it like a shield.

“Leo,” Luca choked out, dropping his gun to the floor and falling to his knees.

The boy flinched away from him.

“He’s sick, Luca!” Vanessa shouted from the doorway. “The school sent him back because of behavioral issues! He’s dangerous, I was keeping him contained until we could find a proper doctor!”

It was a masterclass in manipulation. For a second, looking at the terrified, unblinking child, you could almost believe he was unstable.

“Come here, Leo,” Vanessa commanded gently. “Come to Auntie Vanessa.”

Leo scrambled off the bed, but he didn’t run to her. He didn’t run to Luca, either.

He darted past both of them, his small feet slipping on the hardwood, and crashed directly into my legs.

I gasped, instinctively wrapping my arms around him. He was shaking violently.

Vanessa’s face twisted in pure rage. “Get away from her, you stupid boy—”

“Don’t yell at him,” I said, pulling him tighter against my apron.

Leo buried his face in my skirt, but his small fingers reached up and grabbed the beaded bracelet on my left wrist. It was cheap glass and string, something I wore every day.

Leo pointed at it, looking up at Luca. “The lady,” he whispered. “The lady from the bad night.”

I froze. I had never met this child in my life.

Luca stood up slowly, his eyes locked on my wrist.

“Where did you get that bracelet, Grace?” Luca asked, the warmth completely gone from his voice.

“A customer left it at my mother’s diner,” I stammered, confused. “Years ago.”