Chapter 6 - The Brother Who Came Back from the Grave
Luca watched the video three times.
Anthony looked older, thinner, but unmistakably alive.
For years, Luca had carried guilt over his brother's death.
He had built an empire partly to ensure nobody could ever destroy his family again.
Now he discovered that the brother he had buried was the man who had helped destroy it.
Marco entered the study.
“We traced the video.”
“Where?”
“An old Moretti property near the river. It was sold under a shell company.”
“Prepare the men.”
“Boss, Anthony knows our security procedures. He may have planted explosives.”
“Then we don't use the main entrance.”
Emily stood near the window.
“I should go.”
Luca shook his head.
“No.”
“Margaret trusted me. Sophia may trust me too.”
“That's exactly why you're staying here.”
Emily looked at him.
“You've spent seven years protecting a memory. Now you have a chance to protect your daughter.”
He didn't answer.
She continued.
“Don't let anger make you lose her before you even meet her.”
Luca looked at the photograph of Sophia.
Then he made a decision.
“Get your coat.”
They reached the riverside property shortly after midnight.
The building was an old warehouse with boarded windows and a single illuminated entrance.
Inside, a television played quietly.
Anthony sat in a leather chair.
He wore a black shirt, an expensive watch, and the same cold smile Luca remembered from childhood.
“Brother.”
Luca stopped several feet away.
“You let me bury you.”
Anthony shrugged.
“You buried a watch.”
“I mourned you.”
“That was your mistake.”
Luca's jaw tightened.
“Where is my daughter?”
Anthony gestured toward a small room.
Sophia emerged.
She was wearing a pale yellow sweater and holding a stuffed rabbit.
Her dark hair fell over her shoulders.
When she saw Luca, she hesitated.
“Are you Daddy?”
Luca's entire expression changed.
He slowly lowered himself to one knee.
“Yes.”
Sophia studied him.
“Mommy said you had brown eyes.”
He smiled painfully.
“She was right.”
The little girl took one step forward.
Then another.
She reached out and touched his face.
“Why did you take so long?”
Luca struggled to speak.
“I'm sorry, sweetheart.”
Sophia looked at Anthony.
“Uncle Tony said you didn't want me.”
Luca's eyes lifted.
Anthony smiled.
“Children believe whatever they're told.”
Luca stood.
“What did you do to Elena?”
Anthony's smile disappeared.
“Your wife was smarter than you.”
“Answer me.”
“She discovered our business arrangements. She wanted to take the evidence to the authorities.”
“And you killed her?”
Anthony laughed.
“Not personally.”
Luca moved forward, but Marco blocked him.
Anthony continued.
“Richard handled the clinic. I handled the transportation. Elena was supposed to disappear. Unfortunately, she survived longer than expected.”
Luca stared at him.
“Where is she?”
Anthony looked almost amused.
“Still asking the wrong question.”
He pulled a photograph from his pocket.
It showed Elena sitting in a hospital bed.
Her hair was shorter.
Her face was pale.
But she was alive.
The photograph was dated three months after the funeral.
Luca felt the world collapse around him.
“You told me she died.”
“She was useful while she was alive. Once she escaped, she became a liability.”
“Where is she?”
Anthony leaned forward.
“Give me control of the eastern shipping operation, and I'll tell you.”
Luca's hand tightened into a fist.
“You kidnapped my daughter.”
“I raised her.”
“You stole her.”
“I gave her a home.”
Sophia began crying.
Anthony glanced toward her.
“Take her into the other room.”
One of his men approached.
Sophia clung to Luca's jacket.
“No! I want Daddy!”
Luca wrapped his arms around her.
“It's okay. Nobody is taking you.”
Then the lights went out.
Gunshots exploded through the warehouse.
Marco shouted for everyone to get down.
Luca covered Sophia with his body.
When emergency lights flickered on, Anthony was gone.
So was the photograph.
But someone had left a small recorder on the chair.
Luca pressed play.
Elena's voice filled the warehouse.
“If Luca ever hears this, tell him I didn't leave because I stopped loving him.”
A pause.
Then a second voice spoke.
A woman's voice.
Emily's voice.
“I'm sorry, Elena. I couldn't keep her safe.”
Luca slowly turned toward Emily.
May you like
She stood frozen.
And he realized the maid had known far more than she had ever admitted.
