Chapter 5 - The Girl in the Locked RoomThe attack lasted less than three minutes.
By the time security arrived, Vincent was gone.
But he had left one message.
A photograph.
Me.
Taken that afternoon.
Playing in the garden.
On the back were six words:
You can't protect her forever.
Moretti stared at it.
Then he did something no one expected.
He stopped treating me like a child who needed protection.
He began teaching me.
Not about violence.
About courage.
“If you're scared,” he told me, “you tell someone.”
“What if nobody comes?”
“I'll come.”
“What if you're busy?”
“I'll still come.”
“What if you're asleep?”
“I'll wake up.”
I believed him.
Because he had kept his first promise.
He had brought Mama home.
He had kept me safe.
And somehow, the coldest man in New York had become the person I trusted most.
But Vincent wasn't finished.
He kidnapped Marco.
Then he demanded the evidence.
Moretti refused.
Three hours later, Marco returned.
Alive.
Bruised.
And carrying a message.
Vincent wanted a meeting.
Alone.
Moretti went.
Clara tried to stop him.
I did too.
“Don't go.”
He crouched in front of me.
“I have to.”
“Why?”
“Because people I love are in danger.”
I didn't understand why he said it.
Then he touched my head gently.
“I'll come back.”
He left.
Hours passed.
Then the phone rang.
No one answered.
The security team found Moretti's car abandoned near the harbor.
No Moretti.
No Vincent.
No trace.
For the first time, I understood what adults meant when they said someone was missing.
Clara sat beside me all night.
At dawn, she received a message.
Bring the original recording to Pier 17.
She stared at it.
Then looked at me.
“I need you to trust me.”
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“What are we doing?”
“Getting him back.”
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