Chapter 5 - The Broken Bracelet and the Guest Room
The threat hit me like a physical blow.
Both Carlo’s daughter, and yours, Elise.
My knees gave out. I gripped the edge of the heavy mahogany table to keep from collapsing. Maya was fifteen. She was brilliant, fiercely independent, and entirely oblivious to the dark world I worked in to pay her tuition.
Carlo let out a guttural cry and lunged at Vanessa, his hands wrapping around her throat.
Nico intervened instantly, grabbing Carlo by the collar and throwing him backward onto the carpet.
“Don’t!” Nico barked. “If you kill her, her men execute the girls. Think!”
Carlo scrambled back against the wall, weeping openly, a broken, terrified father.
Nico turned to me. The mafia boss facade had completely dropped; he was looking at me as a protector.
“Elise. Call your sister. Right now. Tell her to pack a bag and walk out the front door. I’ll have my West Coast associates pick her up in ten minutes.”
I pulled my phone from my apron pocket. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely unlock the screen. I opened our FaceTime chat and hit the video call button.
It rang. And rang.
Connection Failed.
I tried again. Sent a text. Sent another.
Nothing.
“She’s not answering,” I choked out, tears welling in my eyes. “She always answers on the first ring. Always.”
Vanessa rubbed her throat, coughing lightly. “She doesn’t have her phone, Elise. The headmaster confiscated all electronics at dinner. A new policy.”
Nico walked over to Vanessa, grabbed the back of her chair, and leaned in close.
“If one hair on that girl’s head is harmed, Vanessa... I will make you beg for the police.”
Antonio placed a warm, steady hand on my shoulder.
I looked at him. His eyes were deeply compassionate. He began to sign, slow and deliberate.
Breathe, Elise. Panic serves the enemy. Go to the guest room. Fetch my medical bag. I need my heart medication.
I stared at him, confused. He had taken his medication before dinner. I had brought him the water glass myself.
He squeezed my shoulder, his eyes darting quickly toward the hallway door, then back to me.
Go. Now.
He was giving me an excuse to leave the room.
I nodded, wiping my eyes. “Mr. Morelli needs his medication,” I told Nico.
Nico didn't look away from Vanessa. “Go. Carlo, guard the door. Nobody comes in. Nobody goes out.”
I slipped through the dining room doors into the quiet, dimly lit hallway. The transition from the explosive tension of the dining room to the silent, immaculate corridor was jarring.
I hurried up the grand sweeping staircase to the second floor, my heart hammering.
The guest room at the end of the hall was reserved for Antonio when he stayed over. I opened the door and flipped on the light.
His leather medical bag sat on the dresser exactly where I had placed it hours ago. I walked over to it, unzipped the top, and reached inside.
My fingers brushed against something hard and metallic that didn't belong in a pillbox.
I pulled it out.
It was a bracelet. A thin, woven silver cuff with a small enamel bluebird charm dangling from the clasp.
I dropped the medical bag. It hit the floor with a thud.
The bracelet was Maya’s.
I had bought it for her fourteenth birthday. She never took it off. Never.
My breathing grew shallow, turning into panicked gasps. If her bracelet was in Antonio’s medical bag... how did it get here? Did Vanessa’s men bring it as proof? But why was it in Antonio's bag?
I backed away from the dresser, my mind spinning violently.
Suddenly, a shadow shifted in the corner of the room.
The heavy velvet curtains drawn across the balcony window rustled.
I froze, grabbing a heavy brass candlestick from the nightstand. “Who’s there?” I whispered.
The curtain pulled back.
A small, slender girl stepped into the dim light of the bedroom. She was wearing oversized sweatpants and a worn gray hoodie.
She looked terrified.
It wasn't Maya.
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The girl looked at me, her eyes wide with fear, and raised her hands.
Please don't yell, she signed, her hands trembling violently. My name is Sophia. My dad is downstairs. Is he okay?
