Chapter 4 - THE VELVET COAT
The little girl stood shivering on the wet cobblestones. Her dark hair was plastered to her cheeks, and the oversized velvet coat hung off her tiny frame, dragging in the puddles. The guests on the steps murmured in shock. Vanessa let out a strangled, terrified scream. “Lily!” She tried to lunge forward, but the guards held her back. Marcus Bellini took a step backward, his eyes darting frantically toward the front gates. Luca immediately took off his suit jacket and walked slowly toward the little girl. He knelt down in the rain, wrapping the dry jacket around her shoulders over the wet velvet. “Are you Lily?” Luca asked, his voice softer than I had ever heard it. The little girl nodded, her huge brown eyes darting toward Marcus. “Are you the one who put the drawing in the car trunk?” “Yes,” Lily whispered. “The nice lady told me to.” My heart leaped into my throat. “The nice lady? Mia?” Lily looked at me and nodded again. “She smelled like medicine. She said I had to put the drawing where the boss man would find it, so he would know what my grandpa did.” Luca looked at the child, then up at Marcus Bellini. “Your grandpa?” Vanessa broke down into heavy, ugly sobs. “She’s my daughter, Luca,” Vanessa wept, falling to her knees on the wet marble. The revelation hit the crowd like a bomb. The elegant, untouchable Vanessa Bellini had a secret six-year-old child. “I had her when I was nineteen,” Vanessa cried, staring at the ground. “My father wouldn't let me keep her. He said a bastard child would ruin my chances of marrying into a top family. He hid her at his country estate. I only got to see her once a month.” Luca stood up, shielding Lily behind his legs. “You hid your own child to secure a marriage arrangement?” Luca asked, the disgust in his voice palpable. “I did it for the family!” Marcus shouted, finally dropping his pretense of innocence. He pointed a shaking finger at Luca. “This merger was supposed to save my syndicate! If you knew she had baggage, you never would have agreed to the engagement!” “You think a child is baggage?” Luca’s voice was pure ice. He looked down at the velvet coat Lily was wearing. It was a deep, rich burgundy, trimmed with black silk. I recognized it instantly. It was the coat Vanessa had been wearing on October 1st. The night Frank died. The night Tommy was run off the road. “Lily,” Luca said gently. “Where did you get this coat?” Lily sniffled. “The medicine lady gave it to me. She said my mommy dropped it in the garage a long time ago. The medicine lady found it in the trunk, and she used it to keep me warm when we ran away.” Luca looked at me. The pieces were snapping together with terrifying clarity. When Frank was struck with the wrench, Vanessa had panicked. She dropped her velvet coat in the garage and fled the scene, leaving Matteo to deal with the supposed 'body'. But Mia wasn't dead. Mia had woken up in the trunk of the Lincoln, found Vanessa’s dropped coat, and stayed hidden until the car was moved. She had somehow found her way to the Bellini country estate, found Lily, and realized the child was the key to exposing Marcus and Vanessa. Mia had rescued Vanessa’s own daughter. “Where is the nice lady now, Lily?” I asked, stepping down into the rain. Lily pointed a small finger toward the massive iron gates of the Moretti estate. “She’s waiting in the trees. She said she couldn't come inside until the scary man with the cross necklace was arrested.” The entire crowd froze. A scary man with a cross necklace. Luca slowly turned around, scanning the faces of his own security detail. My eyes landed on Daniel. The head of security. The man who was currently holding Vanessa. Resting against Daniel’s chest, glinting under the portico lights, was a heavy silver cross necklace. Daniel realized his mistake instantly. He didn't hesitate. He shoved Vanessa violently forward into the guards, drew his service weapon, and grabbed Rosa Marino by the arm, yanking the elderly widow against his chest. He pressed the barrel of the gun directly to Rosa’s temple. “Nobody move!” Daniel roared.
