Chapter 3 - THE SCARRED HAND
Dominic slammed the photograph down on the stainless steel counter.
Sophia flinched, pulling Lily tighter against her chest. Ethan stood bravely beside his father, his small hands balled into fists.
The photograph showed Silvio, alive and smiling, standing in this exact kitchen. But that wasn’t what made Dominic’s blood run cold. In the background of the photo, slightly out of focus, stood a man with a heavily scarred left hand.
"Who is he?" Dominic demanded.
Sophia stared at the photo, her face draining of all color. "I... I don't know."
"Don't lie to me, Sophia. You run my staff. You know every face that walks through these doors."
"I swear, Mr. Moretti," she pleaded, tears brimming in her eyes. "I haven't seen that man."
"Mommy," Lily whispered, her tiny voice breaking the tension.
She pointed a small, sticky finger at the photograph. "That's the shadow man."
Dominic knelt immediately. "Lily, sweetie. You saw this man today?"
Lily nodded slowly. "He gave me a shiny paper. He said to put it in Ethan's pocket."
Dominic froze. He turned to his son. "Ethan. Check your pockets."
Ethan reached into his tuxedo jacket. His brow furrowed. He pulled out a small, heavy brass object.
It wasn't a piece of paper. It was a solid brass room key, stamped with the number 402.
Marco stepped forward, recognizing it instantly. "Boss... that's a key to the old Downtown Plaza Hotel. The Moretti family hasn't owned that building in five years. We sold it to your brother."
Vincent.
Dominic’s estranged brother. The man who had been furious when Dominic took over the family business instead of him.
"Get Vincent in here," Dominic snarled.
Mommy, Lily whispered again. She reached into her little dress pocket. "I have the shiny paper too."
Lily handed Dominic a crumpled, torn ticket stub.
Dominic smoothed it out. It was a one-way train ticket to Chicago. Dated for tonight. Departing in exactly one hour.
May you like
But the name printed on the reservation wasn't Vincent's.
It was Sophia's late husband.
