Chapter 5 - THE PENDANT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
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Lucy couldn't move.
The pendant lay between her and Dominic, its silver surface reflecting the light from the desk lamp.
“My father died when I was a baby,” she said. “My mother told me he was a mechanic. He had nothing to do with the Morettis.”
Clara shook her head.
“Your mother was trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
“From the people who wanted your father erased.”
Dominic stepped closer to the desk.
“Explain the twins.”
Clara drew a slow breath.
“Elena Moretti gave birth to two boys. One was officially declared dead. The other was recorded as Dominic. But Vittorio discovered that someone had switched the hospital identification bracelets. The surviving children were moved before the mistake could be corrected.”
Dominic's face had become unreadable.
“One child remained with the Morettis.”
“Yes.”
“And the other?”
“Was taken by a nurse who believed the family would kill him if he stayed.”
Lucy shook her head.
“You're telling me my father was Dominic's twin brother?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did my mother never tell me?”
“Because your father asked her not to. He believed the Morettis were being watched, and he knew anyone connected to the missing child could become a target.”
Dominic looked toward the window.
For the first time since Lucy had met him, he appeared genuinely lost.
“If my brother survived, why did my father never find him?”
“He did,” Clara said. “But by then, your brother had a family. He refused to return. He wanted a life that wasn't built on fear.”
Lucy gripped the edge of the desk.
“His name?”
“Andrew Parker.”
The room seemed to tilt.
Lucy had grown up hearing that name spoken with quiet sadness. Her mother kept one photograph of Andrew in a wooden box beneath her bed. Lucy had assumed the secrecy came from grief.
Now she understood that it might have come from terror.
Dominic turned toward her.
“Lucy—”
“Don't.”
He stopped.
She needed space. She needed to breathe. Most of all, she needed someone to tell her that this was an elaborate joke and that she could return to her ordinary life.
Instead, Dominic approached her carefully.
“I didn't know.”
“I know.”
“I would never have hired you if I'd known—”
“That makes it worse.”
He frowned.
Lucy looked up at him.
“You hired me because I was qualified to work here. At least, that's what you told me. Now I have to wonder whether every coincidence in my life has been arranged by someone who knows more about my family than I do.”
Dominic had no answer.
Raphael returned with two guards.
“The outer gate was disabled remotely. Someone accessed the security system using a valid administrator credential.”
“Whose?” Dominic asked.
Raphael looked uncomfortable.
“Yours.”
Dominic went still.
Only three people had administrator access: Dominic, Raphael, and Bianca.
“Where's Bianca?” Lucy asked.
Raphael checked his phone.
“She was last seen near the service elevator.”
“Find her,” Dominic ordered.
The guards left.
Clara stood abruptly.
“We don't have time. Elena is being moved tonight. If you want to find her, you need to leave before the people watching this house realize I gave you the address.”
Dominic reached for his jacket.
Matteo appeared in the doorway.
“You're not going anywhere.”
“I'm leaving.”
“You have a contaminated substance in your system, an open gunshot wound, and a pulse that keeps climbing whenever you pretend you're fine.”
Dominic stared at him.
Matteo didn't back down.
“You can threaten me after you've survived the day.”
Lucy almost smiled.
Then her phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
She opened the message.
A photograph showed a small house beside a frozen lake. A woman stood on the porch, looking directly at the camera.
Elena Moretti.
Beneath the photograph was a message.
Come alone, Lucy. If Dominic arrives, your mother pays for what his father did.
Lucy read it twice.
Dominic took the phone from her hand.
His expression changed.
“Whoever sent this knows exactly who you are.”
Lucy swallowed.
“And they know where my mother is.”
Dominic handed the phone back.
“No one goes alone.”
Clara shook her head.
“They'll kill Elena if they see your convoy.”
“Then we won't use a convoy.”
Dominic looked at Lucy.
For once, there was no arrogance in his voice.
“I'm going to find your mother. And I'm going to find out who has been using both our families as pieces on a board.”
Lucy looked at the message again.
Then she noticed the timestamp on the photograph.
It had been taken eleven minutes earlier.
Her mother wasn't merely connected to the mystery.
She was in danger right now.
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And whoever had sent the message knew something even more terrifying.
They knew Lucy would come.
