Chapter 5 - ASHES AND LIES
The words hit me like a physical blow. I stumbled back from the banister, pressing my hand over my mouth to stifle a gasp. The restaurant. If Chloe hadn't asked for food, if James hadn't ordered us to sit, I would have been scrubbing the floors of the kitchen right when the bomb went off.
My knees gave out, and I sank to the carpeted floor of the hallway, trembling violently.
Down in the study, James’s reaction was terrifyingly quiet. "Casualties?"
"None," Marcus replied. "The night watchman was outside having a smoke. But the building is gone, James. The Romanos are declaring war. They know you're hiding Leo's wife."
"She is not Leo's wife," James corrected sharply. "She’s Eleanor’s daughter. Double the guard on the perimeter. No one goes in or out of this estate without my clearance. Not even the staff."
I didn't wait to hear the rest. I crawled back into the guest room, locked the heavy brass door, and curled into the bed next to Chloe, wrapping my body around hers. We were trapped in a gilded cage, caught in the crossfire of a war we had nothing to do with.
The next morning, the estate felt like a military bunker. Heavily armed men in suits patrolled the snow-covered gardens.
Chloe, blissfully unaware of the death sentence hanging over our heads, sat at the massive marble kitchen island, happily coloring with a fresh box of crayons one of the guards had found for her.
I was aggressively washing coffee mugs, trying to keep my hands busy so I wouldn't lose my mind.
Vincent walked into the kitchen.
He moved silently, pouring himself a cup of black coffee. He leaned against the counter, watching me. "You don't belong in this world, Ms. Bennett."
"I'm well aware," I muttered, scrubbing a pristine mug.
"James is sentimental. It's his only flaw," Vincent continued, taking a slow sip. "He thinks he can save you. But the Romanos are ruthless. If they breach these walls, they won't just kill James. They'll kill anyone in the crossfire." His eyes drifted slowly, deliberately, toward Chloe. "Accidents happen to little girls in this life."
My blood boiled. I dropped the sponge and turned to face him. "If you ever threaten my daughter again, I won't wait for James or the Romanos. I'll kill you myself."
Vincent chuckled, a dry, hollow sound. "Spirited. I respect that. But spirit doesn't stop bullets." He set his mug down and walked out.
I stood there, shaking with adrenaline.
"Mommy?"
I jumped, turning to Chloe. She was holding up a piece of drawing paper. "I drew a picture of the scary man."
I forced a smile, walking over to her. "That's nice, baby. Who did you draw?"
I looked down at the crayon drawing. It was a surprisingly accurate, childlike rendering of Vincent. He had the scar on his face, the dark coat. But what caught my eye was what Chloe had drawn in his hand.
It was a small, silver rectangle with a green, squiggly line etched into it.
"What is he holding, sweetie?" I asked, my heart beginning to race.
"The fire thing," Chloe said innocently. "He dropped it in the hallway upstairs when he was talking on his special phone. It had a snake on it."
The breath vanished from my lungs.
The silver snake lighter.
I had seen that lighter sitting on the kitchen counter of my ransacked apartment. The apartment that Vincent claimed the Romanos had destroyed. But the Romanos hadn't been there.
Vincent was the one who broke into my home. Vincent painted the message. Vincent was the mole.
May you like
Suddenly, a heavy hand clamped down on my shoulder.
I spun around. Vincent was standing right behind me. He looked down at the drawing in Chloe's hand, his eyes narrowing into cold, dead slits. "Well," he whispered. "Looks like we have a little artist in the house."
