THE SOUND BEHIND THE LOCKED DOOR

I didn't drop the necklace. I threw it.

I whipped it straight at Silvio’s face. The heavy pendant struck his eye.

He flinched, the suppressed gun letting out a quiet pfft. The bullet shattered the marble next to Luca’s foot.

In that split second, I dove for the iron poker. I grabbed the cold metal, spun on my knees, and swung it as hard as I could at Silvio’s shins.

Bone cracked. Silvio howled, his leg buckling.

Before he could raise the gun again, Luca was on him. Luca moved with terrifying speed, disarming the capo and pinning him to the floor with a knee on his throat.

The guards rushed in, dragging Silvio up and hauling him away.

I stayed on the floor, my hands shaking so badly I couldn't let go of the poker.

Suddenly, tiny footsteps padded across the landing.

“Grace?”

I looked up. Leo was standing at the top of the stairs, clutching his stuffed bear. He had heard the yelling.

I dropped the poker and ran up the stairs, pulling him into my arms. He didn't flinch. He wrapped his small arms around my neck and buried his face in my shoulder.

“You’re safe now, sweetie,” I whispered into his hair, tears finally spilling hot down my cheeks. “Nobody is ever going to lock you in a room again.”

Luca walked up the stairs slowly. He looked at Leo, then at me. There was a vulnerability in his eyes I had never seen before.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver watch Leo had been holding earlier.

“This was my father’s,” Luca said softly, holding it out to Leo. “It’s a family heirloom. I want you to have it. To remind you that you are a Moretti. And you are home.”

Leo peeked over my shoulder. Hesitantly, he reached out and took the watch.

Then, to my shock, Leo reached out his other hand and grabbed Luca’s sleeve, pulling him into the hug.

For the first time in five years, the ghost of Luca’s sister, and the ghost of my mother, didn't feel like open wounds. They felt like a bridge.