Chapter 6 - The Mother Who Kept Two Sons Apart
The first thing Luca heard when he returned to the mansion was the sound of glass breaking.
Elena's bedroom had been searched.
Her wheelchair lay overturned beside the bed.
The nurse was unconscious near the doorway.
On the floor was a folded piece of paper.
Luca opened it.
Bring the original records to the old harbor warehouse. Come alone. Or your mother dies.
Marcus read the message.
"We need a tactical team."
"No police. Not yet."
"Boss, this is your brother."
Luca looked at him.
"That's why it's worse."
Emily appeared in the hallway.
"Mrs. Moretti?"
Luca looked at her.
"He's taken her."
Emily picked up the nurse's dropped medical bag.
"Then we need to find out what happened before he does something irreversible."
Luca hesitated.
"You're not coming."
"Your mother trusted me. She knows things she hasn't told you. And I may be the only person who can get her to talk."
He wanted to argue.
Instead, he handed Marcus the documents.
"Get the original records from the chapel. Emily stays with me."
At the warehouse, Adrian waited beside a metal table.
He was taller than Luca, with the same dark eyes and the same sharp jaw.
Elena sat in a chair behind him.
Her hands were tied.
Luca entered alone, carrying the folder.
"Let her go."
Adrian smiled.
"Hello, little brother."
Luca's expression didn't change.
"I'm older."
"Not in the eyes of our father."
"He's dead."
"Because somebody finally stopped him."
Elena looked up.
"Adrian, please."
He turned toward her.
"Don't use that voice. You lost the right to call yourself my mother decades ago."
Luca set the folder on the table.
"You wanted the records. Take them."
Adrian opened the folder and examined the documents.
Then he laughed.
"Where's the original birth certificate?"
"That's everything."
"Don't lie to me."
Elena suddenly spoke.
"Your brother didn't take it."
Adrian turned.
"Quiet."
"You've spent your entire life blaming Luca for something he never did."
Adrian grabbed her arm.
"You knew I existed."
"Yes."
"You watched him grow up in my place."
Elena began crying.
"I was forced to choose between keeping you alive and keeping him alive. Alessandro told me he would kill whichever child I tried to protect."
Adrian stared at her.
"You could have come for me."
"I tried."
"When?"
"Every year. I sent money. Letters. Gifts. I even visited you once when you were twelve."
Adrian's face changed.
"What?"
"You were playing baseball. You had a red cap. You looked so much like Alessandro that I couldn't breathe."
Adrian's voice dropped.
"Who told me my mother died?"
Elena looked at him.
"Your father."
Silence.
Luca watched his brother struggle with the revelation.
For the first time, Adrian looked less like an enemy and more like a frightened child.
Then Richard's earlier words came back to Luca.
Elena had supposedly poisoned Alessandro.
He looked at her.
"Did you kill my father?"
Elena closed her eyes.
Adrian turned sharply.
"Yes, she did."
Elena shook her head.
"I didn't poison him. I changed the medication."
Luca's expression hardened.
"Why?"
"Because he was going to have you killed."
Adrian laughed bitterly.
"And you expect us to believe that?"
Elena looked at Luca.
"Your father had ordered a shipment of weapons moved through the harbor. He intended to blame you when federal agents discovered it. He wanted Adrian to take over the business and remove you permanently."
Luca stared.
"How do you know?"
"Because I found the orders."
Adrian's gun lowered slightly.
Elena continued.
"I changed Alessandro's medication to delay his next meeting. But someone else poisoned him that night."
"Who?" Luca demanded.
Elena looked toward the warehouse entrance.
Before she could answer, the lights went out.
A gunshot rang through the darkness.
May you like
When the emergency lights came on, Adrian was gone.
And Elena was lying on the floor, blood spreading across her white blouse.
