Chapter 2 - The Woman Who Knew Too Much
“Lock the doors!” Sebastian ordered.
Two guards moved immediately, blocking the mansion's main entrance.
Vanessa stopped beneath the grand staircase.
“Sebastian, please. You don't understand.”
“Then explain.”
She glanced at the mourners. Several of them were already reaching for their phones.
Sebastian looked at his head of security, Marco Bellini.
“Clear the hall. Nobody leaves until my men have taken their names.”
Marco nodded.
The guests began filing into the adjoining reception room under guard. Vincent Moretti, Antonio's younger brother, remained where he stood, his silver hair perfectly combed and his expression carefully neutral.
“Sebastian,” Vincent said, “this is a family matter. We should discuss it privately.”
Sebastian turned toward him.
“My father's funeral is a family matter. His attempted murder is everyone's problem.”
Vincent's jaw tightened.
“Don't make accusations you can't support.”
“That's precisely what I'm trying to establish.”
Sebastian returned his attention to Vanessa.
“Tell me everything.”
Vanessa shook her head.
“I can't.”
“Can't, or won't?”
“Both.”
He stared at her, disbelief slowly hardening into anger.
“You were going to marry me in three weeks.”
“I love you.”
“Then why did my father call you the night before his funeral?”
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“Because I helped him disappear.”
The words struck the room like a gunshot.
Sebastian went completely still.
“You helped him?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because someone was going to kill him. Your father knew it. He came to me because he believed I could help him escape.”
“Who was going to kill him?”
Vanessa looked toward Vincent.
For a fraction of a second, her gaze lingered.
Vincent noticed.
“Careful, Vanessa,” he said softly.
Sebastian's head snapped around.
“What did you just say to her?”
“Nothing. She's frightened and confused.”
Vanessa began shaking.
“I was told to keep quiet. I was told that if I spoke, the people responsible would kill everyone I cared about.”
“Who told you?”
She looked at Sebastian again.
“Your father did.”
Sebastian frowned.
“My father threatened you?”
“No. He warned me.”
Vanessa took a shaky breath.
“Antonio discovered that someone had been stealing from the family for years. Millions of dollars had disappeared through shell companies. He traced the money to a network of properties controlled by someone inside the organization.”
“Who?”
“He wouldn't tell me the name. He said he needed proof before he confronted the person.”
Sebastian remembered the financial reports he had reviewed after Antonio's supposed death. There had been unexplained transfers, but Vincent had insisted they were routine expenses associated with an expansion project.
“You knew about the stolen money?” Sebastian asked.
“Not until your father showed me the documents.”
“And you said nothing.”
“I was afraid.”
Sebastian stepped back as if she had struck him again.
“You watched me bury an empty coffin.”
Vanessa began to sob.
“I thought it was the only way to keep you safe.”
Before Sebastian could answer, Rachel spoke.
“Sir, Mrs. Sterling isn't telling you everything.”
Vanessa turned furiously.
“Stay out of this!”
Rachel stood her ground.
“Your father gave me a second instruction. He said that if Miss Sterling admitted helping him disappear, I should tell you where he was taken.”
Sebastian faced her.
“Where?”
Rachel reached into her apron again and produced a small photograph.
It showed Antonio in a wheelchair outside a private medical building. His face was thinner than Sebastian remembered, but unmistakable.
On the back was an address.
A rehabilitation center in northern Wisconsin.
“He was there three days ago,” Rachel said. “I received this photograph from a nurse who used to work with him.”
Sebastian stared at the image.
“Why didn't you tell me sooner?”
“Your father asked me to wait until the funeral. He believed the people watching him would be expecting me to contact you before then.”
“Who was watching him?”
Rachel glanced toward Vincent.
“I don't know, sir. But I saw a black car outside the servants' entrance the night before Mr. Moretti disappeared. The driver gave me an envelope and told me to deliver it to your father.”
“What was inside?”
“A photograph of you leaving your office. On the back, someone had written: The son dies next.”
Sebastian's face turned cold.
Marco stepped forward.
“Boss, we should move you to a secure location.”
“No,” Sebastian replied. “We're going to Wisconsin.”
Vincent shook his head.
“Absolutely not. This is obviously a trap.”
Sebastian looked at his uncle.
“Then you won't mind staying here while I find out.”
Two guards moved toward Vincent.
May you like
For the first time that evening, the older man's expression cracked.
And Sebastian noticed.
