THE WAITRESS, THE WINE, AND THE MAFIA BOSS'S LOST SON

The interrogation room felt like it was closing in on me.

"Victoria's half-brother," I repeated, staring at the yellowed birth certificate. "Elena slept with the head of the Hale family?"

Detective Russo rubbed his temples, leaning against the metal table. "If this is true, it changes everything. If the Hale family knew Elena bore Elias a son, they wouldn't just want the Caruso empire destroyed—they'd want the boy back as their rightful heir."

"But Anthony raised him," I pointed out. "Why would Anthony keep the boy if he knew he belonged to the Hales?"

"Leverage," Russo said grimly. "Anthony used the boy to keep the Hales from attacking the Carusos for fifteen years. He played both sides."

The heavy metal door opened. A young patrol officer stepped in.

"Detective, we have a problem," the officer said, looking nervous. "Victoria Hale made her phone call. Her lawyer is here with a federal judge's order. She's posting bail."

"On conspiracy to commit murder?" Russo barked. "Are you kidding me?"

"The judge bought the story that she was a terrified bystander caught in a mafia shootout. Her lawyer claims Anthony forced her to cooperate under threat of death."

Russo swore under his breath and stormed out of the room.

I looked at Grace. She was pale, clutching the empty silver locket.

"Mom," she whispered. "If Victoria gets out... she knows I found the locket. She knows I saw the tax boxes in the basement."

"She's not getting near you, Grace," I said fiercely, grabbing her hand. "We're in a police station."

But as I said it, the lights in the interrogation room flickered.

Then they went out completely.

The entire precinct plunged into darkness. Shouts echoed down the hallway outside our door.

"Stay behind me," I ordered Grace, pushing her into the corner of the room.

I grabbed the heavy metal chair I had been sitting in and stood by the door, raising it like a baseball bat.

Footsteps rushed down the hall. Someone tried the handle of our door. It was locked from the outside.

"Mrs. Bennett!" a voice hissed through the crack in the door.

I froze. I knew that voice.

It was Nicholas.

"Stand back!" he warned.

A loud crack echoed as a heavy boot kicked the door near the lock. The metal frame groaned, and the door swung open.

Nicholas stood in the doorway, holding a flashlight. He had changed out of his bloodied suit and was wearing a dark jacket.

"What are you doing?" I asked, lowering the chair. "You're supposed to be in holding!"

"My father's lawyer got us out on bail ten minutes ago," Nicholas said quickly. "But the power outage isn't a coincidence. Victoria's men hit the local substation. They're coming into the precinct to silence anyone who knows about the Hale connection. That means you and Grace."

"How do you know that?" Grace asked, stepping out of the corner.

Nicholas looked at her, his gray eyes filled with a desperate intensity. "Because Anthony told me before they put him in solitary. He warned me Victoria would burn the city down to get the empire back. Come with me. Now."

"Why should we trust you?" I demanded. "You're part of this family!"

"Because fifteen years ago, my grandfather ordered men to kill your daughter, and my father didn't stop it," Nicholas said, his voice breaking. "I am not them. I won't let another innocent person die for my family's sins. Please."

I looked at the dark hallway. Shouting and the sound of shattering glass echoed from the front lobby.

"Let's go," I said.

Nicholas led us down a back stairwell used for prisoner transport. We bypassed the chaotic lobby and slipped out through a heavy steel door into the rainy alley behind the precinct.

A black SUV was idling with its lights off.

Nicholas opened the back door. "Get in."

I pushed Grace in first, then climbed in beside her. Nicholas jumped into the passenger seat.

"Go," Nicholas told the driver.

The driver turned around.

It was Dominic Caruso.

He looked terrible. The poison had left him pale and sweating, but his eyes were hard as steel. He slammed the car into gear and tore out of the alley.

"Where are we going?" I demanded, gripping the seatbelt.

"To end this," Dominic said, his voice raspy.

"End what? Victoria is out on bail. Anthony is in a cell. Your father shot a tactical team. You don't have an empire left to save, Mr. Caruso."

"I don't care about the empire, Rose," Dominic said, looking at me through the rearview mirror. "I care about the truth."

He reached into his jacket and tossed a heavy, leather-bound journal into the backseat. It landed on my lap.

"What is this?" I asked.

"It's Elena's diary," Dominic said. "I kept it locked in my safe for fifteen years. I never read it. I couldn't bear to."

"But you read it tonight," Nicholas said quietly from the front seat.

"Yes," Dominic replied. "While we were waiting for bail, I had my lawyer pull it from the estate and bring it to me."

He looked at me in the mirror again.

"Read the last entry, Rose," Dominic commanded. "The one dated the day before she died."

I opened the journal to the bookmark. Elena's handwriting was elegant but hurried, as if she were terrified someone would catch her.

I read the words aloud in the dark car.

"I can't hide it anymore. Anthony knows the truth about Nicholas's father. He threatened to tell Dominic unless I paid him two million dollars from the charity fund. But I won't let him blackmail me. I've left the evidence of Anthony's extortion in a safety deposit box. Tomorrow, I'm taking Nicholas, and we're leaving Chicago forever. If I die before we make it out... know that Anthony Romano killed me."

I closed the book, my hands shaking. "Anthony didn't cut the brakes because she was leaving Dominic. He cut them because she refused to pay him."

"Yes," Dominic said coldly. "And Victoria knew it."

"How do you know Victoria knew?"

Dominic turned the steering wheel sharply, pulling into the empty, darkened parking lot of a massive, Gothic-style cathedral.

"Because," Dominic said, turning off the engine, "Victoria is the one who introduced Elena to Dr. Elias Hale."