Chapter 2 - THE PINK SUITCASE AND THE EXILED BROTHER
That was when I remembered what I'd seen Vanessa carrying toward the garage twenty minutes earlier. Sophie's little pink suitcase. And the person waiting beside the car was someone Luca had banished from this family five years ago. His own younger brother, Dominic.
The heavy mahogany dining chairs scraped violently against the marble floor as Luca surged to his feet. The forty guests gasped, wine spilling over crystal rims, but Luca ignored them. He didn’t shout. He moved with a terrifying, predatory silence. He sprinted toward the hallway leading to the garage. I didn't think. I just moved. I locked Teresa’s wheelchair brakes, squeezed her hand, and ran after him.
The heavy steel fire door connecting the mansion to the garage was thrown wide open. The cool Chicago night air rushed in, carrying the harsh smell of burning rubber. We burst onto the concrete floor just in time to see the red taillights of a black SUV tearing down the long, winding driveway. “Sophie!” Luca roared, his voice cracking with a father’s pure terror. He slammed his fist against the concrete pillar, the sound echoing through the cavernous garage.
Vanessa stood near the open doorway, her face pale, her hands trembling. She had followed us. Luca turned on her. The quiet authority was gone, replaced by the lethal rage of a mafia boss. He closed the distance between them in two strides and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Where is he taking her?” Luca demanded. “Where is Dominic taking my daughter?” Vanessa didn’t cry. She lifted her chin, her eyes flashing with a desperate, defensive fire. “I saved her, Luca,” Vanessa said, her voice shaking. “You refused to see the truth. The Commission in New York is making a move against you. I wasn’t going to let an eight-year-old girl be collateral damage in your mob war!”
I stood near the tool benches, my heart hammering against my ribs. Answer One, Open Two. Vanessa hadn’t kidnapped Sophie for ransom. She genuinely believed she was saving the little girl from Luca’s dangerous life. But why trust Dominic? Dominic had been exiled for trying to steal the family’s legitimate assets. He hated Luca. “You gave my daughter to a man who wants me dead?” Luca’s voice dropped to a lethal whisper. “Dominic promised to keep her safe!” Vanessa cried out. “He has a safe house in Michigan! He’s blood, Luca!”
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“He is a traitor,” Luca hissed, letting her go as if she burned him. He pulled out his phone, barking orders to his security team to lock down the perimeter and track the SUV. I looked down at the cold concrete floor. Near the spot where the SUV had been parked, something caught the overhead fluorescent light. I walked over and knelt down. It was a heavy, silver locket. I recognized it immediately. Sophie wore it every single day. She had told me it held a picture of her late mother. But the clasp was broken, and the locket had popped open when it hit the ground. I picked it up. My blood ran cold.
The picture inside wasn't of Sophie’s mother. It was a photograph of Vanessa. And she had her arms wrapped tightly around Dominic Moretti. I looked at the back of the small photo. There was a date written in blue ink. It was dated six years ago. Two years before Vanessa had even met Luca. I slowly stood up and walked over to the furious mafia boss. “Mr. Moretti,” I interrupted, my voice trembling. Vanessa glared at me. “Hannah, I told you to pack your bags! Get out!” I ignored her. I held the open silver locket out to Luca. “Sophie dropped this,” I said quietly. Luca took the locket. His dark eyes scanned the photograph. The air in the garage grew suffocatingly still. Luca slowly raised his head and looked at his fiancée. “You didn’t give Sophie to Dominic to protect her from the Commission, Vanessa,” Luca whispered. “You gave her to him because you’ve belonged to him this whole time.”
