Chapter 4 - The Child Who Remembered Everything
Claire screamed Lily’s name.
Rocco caught her before she reached the open window.
“Let me go!”
“Claire.”
“They took her!”
“We’ll find her.”
“My daughter is three!”
She struck his chest.
“Find her!”
Rocco did not react.
He simply looked devastated.
Then his phone rang.
Dante.
Rocco answered.
“Boss.”
Claire grabbed the phone.
“They took Lily.”
Silence.
Then Dante’s voice became terrifyingly calm.
“Who?”
“We don’t know.”
“I do.”
A vehicle roared through the night on his end.
“The meeting was fake. Sofia wasn’t there. The photograph was old.”
Claire could barely breathe.
“Where is my daughter?”
“Marco wanted me away from you.”
“Where is she?”
“I’m coming back.”
“Dante—”
“I swear to you, Claire. I will bring Lily home.”
The call ended.
Claire stared at the red crayon.
Something bothered her.
“Why leave this?”
Rocco looked at it.
“A message.”
“No.”
Claire picked it up.
“Lily was holding a red crayon when she was taken from the driveway earlier.”
“What?”
“Children hold onto things.”
She examined the windowsill.
A red streak marked the white paint.
Then another marked the exterior wall.
Claire leaned out.
Below, on the stone path, was a small red line.
“She marked where they took her.”
Rocco stared.
Claire ran downstairs.
Red marks appeared every few yards.
On a planter.
A gatepost.
A trash container.
Then the marks ended at the service road.
Security footage showed a gray maintenance van leaving twelve minutes earlier.
Dante arrived in nine.
Rocco gave him the plate.
Dante made three calls.
The van was spotted heading south.
Claire reached for the passenger door of Dante’s SUV.
“No.”
he said.
“She’s my daughter.”
“This may become violent.”
“Then drive faster.”
Dante stared at her.
Then opened the door.
They found the van abandoned near an industrial district.
Inside was one of Lily’s sneakers.
Claire nearly collapsed.
Dante caught her.
“She left it.”
“What?”
“She’s making a trail.”
He held up the tiny white shoe.
“She wants us to find her.”
A red mark appeared on the inside of the van door.
Then another on the curb.
Claire followed.
The marks led toward an old garment warehouse.
Dante’s men surrounded it.
He stopped Claire outside.
“This time you stay.”
She wanted to argue.
Then she heard Lily crying inside.
“MOMMY!”
Claire ran.
Dante swore and followed.
Inside, Marco stood behind Lily.
One hand rested on her shoulder.
He had no weapon visible.
That made the situation worse.
“Stop.”
Dante did.
Claire did not.
Marco lifted a pistol.
Claire froze.
“Mommy!”
Lily cried.
“I’m here, baby.”
Marco smiled.
“Touching.”
Dante’s voice was ice.
“Let her go.”
“You have something I want.”
“The files.”
“All of them.”
“You killed Ethan for those files.”
Marco’s smile faded.
“Ethan killed himself the moment he copied them.”
Claire’s grief transformed.
“You murdered my husband.”
Marco looked at her.
“He was warned.”
Claire lunged.
Dante caught her.
Marco laughed.
“That fire. Ethan had it too.”
“You’re going to prison.”
“Prison?”
Marco almost seemed amused.
“You still think this is about money?”
He looked at Dante.
“Your father destroyed my family.”
“Your brother betrayed mine.”
“My brother discovered what your father was planning.”
Dante’s eyes narrowed.
“What planning?”
Marco’s expression changed.
“You really don’t know.”
“Know what?”
“Ask Sofia.”
Dante went still.
Marco smiled.
“There it is.”
Claire looked between them.
“What does Sofia know?”
Marco ignored her.
“The files, Dante.”
Dante removed the flash drive.
Marco extended his hand.
“Slide it.”
Dante placed it on the floor.
Kicked it.
The drive stopped near Marco.
He crouched.
For one second his attention shifted.
Lily bit his hand.
Marco shouted.
Dante moved.
Claire ran toward Lily.
A gunshot exploded.
Claire dropped over her daughter.
Another shot.
Then silence.
Marco lay on the floor clutching his shoulder.
Dante stood over him.
Alive.
Claire grabbed Lily.
Her daughter sobbed against her.
“I marked it, Mommy.”
“I know.”
“My red crayon.”
“I know, baby.”
Dante looked at Marco.
“Who is inside my family?”
Marco laughed despite the pain.
“You still haven’t figured it out.”
Rocco entered with two men.
They restrained Marco.
Dante crouched beside him.
“Tell me.”
Marco looked at Lily.
Then Claire.
Then Dante.
“You think the bomb under your convoy was the plan?”
Dante’s face hardened.
“It wasn’t?”
“That was insurance.”
“For what?”
Marco smiled.
“The real attack starts tomorrow.”
“Where?”
“You’ll know.”
Dante grabbed his collar.
“Where?”
Marco leaned closer.
“At the place every Moretti will be standing together.”
Dante released him.
His face drained of color.
Claire understood before anyone spoke.
Sofia Moretti’s seventy-fifth birthday celebration.
The following afternoon.
Nearly the entire Moretti family would attend.
Dante turned toward Rocco.
“Cancel it.”
Rocco was already dialing.
Nobody answered at the estate.
He tried another number.
Nothing.
Then Dante’s phone buzzed.
A photograph arrived.
It showed the Moretti mansion ballroom.
Dozens of staff were preparing tables.
May you like
Beneath the photograph was one sentence.
TOO LATE TO CANCEL.
