Chapter 5 - THE CLASP
“Check the clasp.”
Claire read the words aloud, her voice trembling. She held the bloodstained drawing up to the light of the hallway sconce.
Dominic slowly set Lily down, keeping her tucked safely behind his legs. He stepped over Marcus’s body and took the drawing from Claire’s hands.
“This is Rebecca’s handwriting,” Dominic murmured, his thumb brushing over the ink. “She drew this with Lily before she went into the hospital for the last time. I remember.”
He looked up, his dark eyes wide with a terrifying realization. “The bracelet. The real one.”
Claire scrambled to her feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in her cheek. “Vanessa has it. She said she pawned it, but she was lying. She wouldn’t pawn a fifty-dollar bracelet. She kept it.”
“Where is Vanessa right now?” Dominic demanded.
As if on cue, the roar of a high-performance engine echoed from the front of the estate.
“The driveway,” Claire gasped.
Dominic didn’t hesitate. “Take Lily to the safe room. Do not leave her side.”
He turned and sprinted down the grand staircase, taking the steps three at a time.
Claire grabbed Lily’s hand. “Come on, sweetie. Fast as you can.”
She hurried the child into the master suite and keyed the code for the panic room hidden behind the cedar closet. The heavy steel door slid open. Inside, it was a fortress, stocked with monitors showing every camera angle of the estate.
“Sit on the cot, Lily. Put these headphones on and watch your iPad,” Claire instructed, her voice calm and steady despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins.
Lily obeyed, her small hands shaking as she pulled the padded headphones over her ears.
Claire turned to the bank of security monitors.
On Screen 4, she saw the front circular driveway. Vanessa was sprinting toward a sleek black Mercedes, dragging a heavy leather duffel bag.
Before Vanessa could reach the door handle, Dominic burst through the mansion’s double front doors. He crossed the gravel driveway like a predator, closing the distance in seconds.
He grabbed Vanessa by the arm, spinning her around. The duffel bag hit the ground, bursting open.
Stacks of cash spilled onto the gravel. Passports. And a small velvet jewelry box.
Dominic let go of Vanessa, dropping to his knees. He grabbed the velvet box and flipped it open.
There it was.
The silver bracelet with the blue enamel butterfly. The one that said: SEVERE TREE NUT ALLERGY.
Claire watched the monitor, holding her breath.
Dominic pulled the bracelet out. He stared at the flat, silver safety clasp. He dug his thumbnail into the metal seam and pried it open.
Something tiny and metallic fell into his palm.
Even through the grainy security footage, Claire could see what it was.
It was a small, vintage brass key. A locker key.
On the screen, Dominic held the key up to Vanessa’s face. He was shouting something, his face a mask of absolute fury. Vanessa was sobbing, shaking her head, backing away toward the car.
Suddenly, another figure stepped into the frame on Screen 4.
Claire’s blood turned to ice.
It was Silvio. Dominic’s most trusted man.
He walked up behind Vanessa. But he wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at Dominic.
Silvio raised a gun and aimed it directly at the back of Dominic’s head.
“Boss,” Silvio’s voice came through the security feed audio, chilling and calm. “Put the key down.”
Dominic froze. He slowly turned his head to look at his right-hand man.
“Silvio,” Dominic said, his voice dangerously low. “What are you doing?”
“Finishing the job Marcus failed to do,” Silvio replied. “Drop the key, Dominic. Or I drop you.”
Claire couldn’t breathe. Silvio was the traitor too. The rot went all the way to the top of Dominic’s empire.
Vanessa scrambled away, her hands covering her mouth, terrified.
“You think a key will save you, Silvio?” Dominic asked, not lowering his hands. “You think the Falcone family will let you live after this?”
Silvio’s eyes narrowed. “The Falcones promised me your territory. Once they get what’s in that locker, you’re finished.”
Dominic smiled a dark, terrible smile. “You don’t even know what’s in the locker, do you?”
“I don’t care.” Silvio cocked the hammer. “Drop it.”
Before Dominic could move, a blinding pair of headlights swept across the driveway. The iron gates to the estate, which were supposed to be locked down, were slowly swinging wide open.
Three black SUVs rolled up the driveway, their tires crunching menacingly on the gravel.
They stopped in a semi-circle, boxing in Dominic, Silvio, and Vanessa.
The doors opened simultaneously.
A dozen men stepped out, heavily armed. But they weren’t Dominic’s men.
And from the center vehicle, a man stepped out wearing a perfectly tailored grey suit. He had silver hair and a walking cane.
Vincent Falcone. The head of the rival family.
May you like
He leaned on his cane and smiled at Dominic.
“Hello, Dominic,” Falcone said, his voice raspy. “I believe you have something that belongs to me. And if you don't hand it over right now, my men are going to walk inside that house and pay a visit to your lovely daughter.”
