Chapter 4 - The Man Behind the Gun
Dante moved before I could even scream.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me behind his desk.
"Stay down."
Two guards rushed into the study.
"Boss! The east corridor!"
Dante drew a gun from beneath his jacket.
I froze.
This wasn't a wealthy businessman protecting his property.
This was a man accustomed to violence.
Orion positioned himself between me and the doorway, his enormous body tense.
"Get her downstairs," Dante ordered.
"No!" I protested. "What happened?"
"Someone got inside."
A second gunshot echoed through the mansion.
One of the guards rushed toward the stairs, but Orion suddenly barked and blocked his path.
Dante looked at the dog.
"Orion, move!"
The animal refused.
Then I noticed something.
Orion wasn't looking at the guard.
He was staring at the ventilation grille above the study entrance.
A tiny red light blinked behind it.
"Wait!" I shouted.
Everyone turned.
"There's something up there!"
Dante followed my gaze.
Within seconds, his men discovered a small surveillance device hidden inside the grille.
Someone had been watching the study.
Someone knew I was there.
Dante's face became terrifyingly calm.
"Nobody leaves this house."
The guards searched the property while Vincent escorted me into a secure room.
Twenty minutes later, Dante returned.
His shirt was slightly torn, and a small cut marked his cheek.
"Are you hurt?" I asked.
"No."
"Your face—"
"It's nothing."
I reached toward the cut instinctively.
He caught my wrist.
For a moment, we simply stared at each other.
Then his grip loosened.
"You're not afraid of me, are you?"
I glanced toward the door.
"Honestly? I'm terrified."
A strange expression crossed his face.
"Then why did you reach for me?"
"Because you're bleeding."
He released my wrist.
Nobody had ever spoken to Dante Moretti like that. At least, not without regretting it.
He sat opposite me.
"We found the intruder's vehicle. It belonged to a security company once contracted by my uncle, Victor Moretti."
"Your uncle?"
"He's my father's younger brother. He manages several legitimate businesses for the family."
"Do you trust him?"
"No."
The answer was immediate.
Dante explained that Victor had been questioning the circumstances surrounding Matteo's disappearance for years. He had recently insisted that the old case be permanently closed.
Now someone was stealing my mother's records.
I looked at the photograph again.
"Why would your uncle care about me?"
Dante leaned forward.
"Because if Matteo survived, he has a legitimate claim to a substantial portion of the Moretti family estate."
I stared at him.
"And you think my mother hid him?"
"I think she knew something that could destroy my uncle."
Before I could respond, Vincent entered carrying a sealed envelope.
"We recovered this from the intruder's vehicle."
Dante opened it.
Inside was a photograph of me leaving the restaurant.
Someone had circled my face in red.
Beneath it were six handwritten words.
Find the girl before Dante does.
Dante's jaw tightened.
He looked at me.
"From this moment forward, you don't go anywhere alone."
I swallowed.
"You're making me a prisoner?"
"No."
May you like
He glanced toward Orion.
"Apparently, you've already become something much more important."
