Chapter 8 - THE LAST ROOM
Victoria survived the shooting.
The bullet had passed through her shoulder, narrowly missing a major artery.
She was transported to a private hospital under heavy security.
Daniel was admitted to the same hospital.
Sophia refused to leave his side.
When the doctor finally confirmed that their baby was safe, Daniel broke down.
He placed a trembling hand over her stomach.
“There's really a baby?”
Sophia nodded.
“Six months.”
He closed his eyes.
“Six months…”
“I know.”
“I missed everything.”
“You're here now.”
Daniel kissed her hand.
“I don't deserve you.”
Sophia looked at him.
“Don't make me spend the rest of my life proving that you do.”
For the first time in months, they laughed together.
But the relief didn't last.
Dante arrived carrying the silver key.
“I need to show you something.”
He placed a map on the bedside table.
“Room 317 is in a private medical facility in Connecticut. The same facility where my father supposedly recovered.”
Daniel studied the map.
“I know that place.”
“You've been there?”
“I was transferred through it after the crash.”
Dante leaned closer.
“Did you see my father?”
Daniel hesitated.
“I heard a doctor mention a patient called Mr. A. The room was on the third floor.”
Dante's hands tightened.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“I didn't know whether he was alive. And I didn't know who was listening.”
They arranged a discreet visit.
The next morning, Dante, Marco, and Daniel entered the facility.
Room 317 was at the end of a quiet corridor.
A nurse stood outside.
“Can I help you?”
Dante showed her the silver key.
Her face changed.
“Where did you get that?”
“From Victoria Moretti.”
The nurse stepped aside.
The room was empty.
A bed stood beneath the window.
Medical equipment lined the walls.
But there was no patient.
A folder lay on the bedside table.
Dante opened it.
Inside were medical reports dating back seven years.
Alessandro Moretti had been admitted under a false name after suffering a severe cardiac event.
His condition had stabilized.
He had been transferred twice.
The last recorded destination was a private residence in Vermont.
Dante stared at the papers.
“My father was alive.”
Daniel nodded.
“Someone kept him hidden.”
A second folder contained letters.
One was addressed to Dante.
He opened it.
My son, if you're reading this, I hope you have learned that power without trust is only another kind of prison.
I wanted to return. But every time I tried, someone close to us warned me that you would be killed if I did.
I don't know whether I was protecting you or allowing fear to steal your life.
There is something else you must know. Salvatore did not create the organization that destroyed our family. He inherited it from someone who has been beside us since before you were born.
The letter ended with a location.
A small chapel outside Albany.
Dante looked toward Daniel.
“Who else knew about this room?”
Daniel shook his head.
“Only Victoria and Richard Hale, as far as I knew.”
“Richard is dead.”
“Then someone else has the information.”
Dante's phone rang.
It was Marco.
“Boss, we have a problem.”
“What now?”
“Salvatore's private accounts have been emptied. Every asset is gone.”
“Find him.”
“We're trying.”
Marco hesitated.
“There's also a message.”
Dante waited.
“Someone accessed the family's original security archive last night. The access code belonged to your father.”
Dante looked at the empty bed.
“That's impossible.”
“There's more.”
“What?”
“The access was made from inside this hospital.”
Dante turned toward the corridor.
A nurse was standing at the far end.
She was watching him.
When their eyes met, she quickly looked away and disappeared through a staff door.
Dante ran after her.
The door opened into an empty stairwell.
On the landing lay a small envelope.
Inside was a recent photograph.
Alessandro Moretti.
Alive.
Older, thinner, but unmistakably himself.
May you like
On the back, someone had written:
Your father is waiting. But he doesn't want to see you alone.
