THE MISSING SCHEDULE: A DEBT OF FORTY YEARS

"Is the girl alright?" I asked the phone, my voice cracking.

"She has minor injuries," the nurse replied. "But Child Protective Services is on the way. Since Mr. Rossi is unconscious and there is no mother on record, she will be placed in emergency foster care."

"No," Adrian said sharply. "I am on my way. Do not let anyone take that child."

He hung up the phone and threw it onto the leather sofa.

He didn't waste time putting his suit jacket back on. He grabbed his car keys from the desk.

"Adrian, wait," Vanessa pleaded, stepping in front of the door. "You cannot go to that hospital. The press will find out. If you are seen claiming the child of an employee, they will dig into why. The schedule will come out."

Adrian looked at the woman he was supposed to marry in three weeks.

"A man who took a bullet for me is dying," Adrian said, his voice terrifyingly quiet. "And his child is sitting in a trauma ward. If you try to stop me from walking through this door, I will make sure you leave this estate tonight with nothing but the clothes on your back."

Vanessa stepped aside, her eyes flashing with a venom I had never seen before.

Adrian looked at me. "Catherine, come with me. Lily knows you."

I had baked cookies for little Lily dozens of times. She was a sweet, quiet girl who loved to draw, just like her father.

"I'm right behind you," I said.

We left Leonard and Vanessa in the study and rushed to Adrian’s car.

The drive to St. Jude’s was a blur of rain and neon streetlights. Adrian drove with a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel, his jaw clenched so tight I thought it might shatter.

"He was run off the road," Adrian muttered, staring through the windshield. "David is the best driver I know. He doesn't just lose control of a vehicle."

We arrived at the emergency room in record time.

The harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital waiting room made everything look sick. I spotted little Lily sitting on a plastic chair in the corner. She was wearing a torn yellow raincoat, her small hands clutching a plastic bag containing her father’s bloody watch.

I rushed over and knelt in front of her.

"Lily, sweetheart," I said gently.

She looked up, her lower lip trembling. She had a bandage over her left eyebrow, but otherwise, she seemed miraculously unhurt.

"Miss Catherine," she cried, throwing her small arms around my neck.

I held her tight, feeling her tiny heart hammering against my chest. Adrian stood behind me, his large hand resting protectively on the child’s shoulder.

A social worker in a gray suit approached us, holding a clipboard.

"Excuse me, are you family?" the social worker asked, eyeing Adrian’s expensive clothes and my evening gown.

"I am her uncle," Adrian lied smoothly, without a second of hesitation. "I am taking temporary custody until my brother wakes up."

The social worker frowned. "We need to process paperwork, Mr. Moretti. The police need to speak with you regarding the accident."

"Where are the police?" Adrian asked.

"Right here."

A uniform officer walked over, holding a notepad. "Mr. Moretti? We pulled dashcam footage from a truck behind Mr. Rossi’s vehicle. It wasn't an accident. A black SUV deliberately side-swiped him into the concrete barrier, then sped off."

Adrian’s posture turned to steel. "Do you have a plate number?"

"No," the officer said. "But we found this in the child’s backpack. We believe the SUV was following them from the estate."

The officer handed Adrian a small, crumpled piece of heavy photographic paper.

I gasped.

Answer one: The crash was attempted murder, aimed at wiping out the Rossi bloodline.

Open two: Who ordered the hit, and how did they know David was leaving the estate tonight?

Adrian stared at the piece of paper.

It was the other half of my photograph.

The missing piece. It showed Julian Rossi clearly, smiling, holding a young, laughing David in his arms.

"Where did you get this, Lily?" Adrian asked softly, kneeling down to her eye level.

Lily sniffled, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "Daddy gave it to me tonight. He said we had to leave the house fast. He said the lady in the red dress told him the truth, and then she told him to run before you found out."

Adrian went completely still.

I felt a cold dread wash over me.

Vanessa was wearing a red dress tonight.

"What truth did the lady tell him, Lily?" I asked gently.

Lily looked down at her muddy sneakers. "She told my daddy that Mr. Adrian’s family killed his grandpa. And she said if we didn't leave tonight, Mr. Adrian was going to kill us too."

Adrian stood up slowly. The realization hit him, devastating and absolute.

Vanessa hadn't just discovered the schedule tonight. She had known about Julian Rossi all along. She had manipulated David into fleeing the estate, making him a vulnerable target on the highway, and she had framed Adrian for it in the child’s eyes.

"Catherine," Adrian said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion. "Stay here with Lily. Do not let her out of your sight."

"Adrian, what are you going to do?" I asked, terrified of the look in his eyes.