THE LITTLE GIRL WHO KNEW WHO EVERYONE FEARED

Gabriel survived.

That disappointed several people.

I wasn't one of them.

Dead men could not confess.

The evidence Daniel left was enough to expose financial crimes spanning twenty years, but Gabriel's attempted kidnapping turned an old investigation into an immediate one.

Federal agents arrived before sunrise.

So did lawyers.

Lots of lawyers.

By noon, my family's name was everywhere.

I had spent my adult life controlling information.

Now television networks were discussing my father's death while strangers online debated whether I had known about Gabriel's operation.

I didn't care.

Mia was alive.

She slept curled against Elena in my mother's suite.

I sat outside the door.

At some point Isabella rolled beside me.

"How is she?"

"Doctor says she'll be fine."

"And Elena?"

"She's pretending she's fine."

My mother nodded.

"Women with children become excellent liars about pain."

I looked at her.

"Did Father know Gabriel would kill him?"

"I think he suspected."

"Why didn't he tell me?"

"Because you were twenty-seven and angry at the world."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I have."

We sat quietly.

Then Isabella touched my hand.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For believing Rocco might have betrayed us."

From down the hall, Rocco called:

"I heard that."

My mother almost smiled.

It was the first normal moment we'd had in days.

Then Elena opened the bedroom door.

"Lorenzo?"

She'd never used my first name before.

I stood.

"Mia wants you."

The child was awake.

A small bandage covered her eyebrow.

"Uncle Lorenzo."

I sat beside her.

"You scared me."

She looked guilty.

"Sorry."

That nearly destroyed me.

"You never apologize for somebody else doing something bad to you. Understand?"

She considered this.

Then nodded.

"Green lady saved me."

I glanced at Elena.

Vivien.

"Yes."

"She bad?"

Children asked impossible questions with remarkable simplicity.

"She did bad things."

"But she saved me."

"Yes."

Mia frowned.

"People confusing."

I laughed despite everything.

"Very."

Vivien had been arrested.

She had surrendered the weapon immediately and confessed to threatening Elena.

She also agreed to testify against Gabriel.

Her lawyer requested that I speak to her.

I refused.

For two days.

On the third, I went.

Vivien sat behind glass in a detention facility.

No silk.

No diamonds.

No perfect makeup.

She looked younger.

And exhausted.

"You came."

"You asked."

"I didn't think you would."

I picked up the phone.

Neither of us spoke for several seconds.

Finally she said:

"I'm sorry."

"Don't."

"I need to say it."

"No. You need to understand that saying it doesn't fix anything."

She nodded.

Tears filled her eyes.

"I know."

"Why Elena?"

"My father discovered Daniel had left evidence. He believed Elena knew where it was."

"So you threatened her."

"He ordered me to get close enough to find out."

"And me?"

Her face twisted.

"At first, you were part of the plan."

"At first?"

"I wasn't supposed to love you."

I looked away.

"Lorenzo, I know that means nothing now."

"Correct."

"He raised me to believe everyone was either useful or dangerous. Then I met you."

I almost laughed.

"You chose an interesting person to teach you morality."

"You were kind when nobody was watching."

That silenced me.

She continued.

"You paid Mrs. Russo's grandson's hospital bills and told everyone she did it. You sat with your mother every Sunday even when she couldn't remember what day it was. You let Mia put stickers on a seventy-thousand-dollar desk."

"One sticker."

"Nine."

I hadn't noticed eight.

Vivien smiled through tears.

Then it disappeared.

"I started wanting out."

"You could have told me."

"I was afraid."

"So you made Elena more afraid."

She closed her eyes.

"Yes."

There was nothing I could say to that.