Chapter 4 - Carmela’s Last SecretDante read the sentence three times.
Not because he failed to understand it.
Because understanding it changed everything.
Carmela had known.
She had known death was close enough to prepare a letter.
The bank manager waited outside while Dante stood alone inside the private viewing room.
His fingers unfolded the remaining pages.
Daniel Bennett found evidence that someone has been using Falcone shipping routes to move weapons and money without your approval. I helped him because I knew what you would do if I came to you too early. You would start a war.
Dante almost smiled bitterly.
She had known him well.
Then he kept reading.
Daniel believes the traitor has access to your personal schedule. That means this is not merely business. It is someone close.
Below the paragraph were six names.
Five had been crossed out.
One remained.
Victor Falcone.
Dante’s uncle.
The man who had helped raise him after his father died.
The man who had stood beside Dante at Carmela’s funeral.
Dante lowered himself into the chair.
The final paragraph was worse.
If Daniel disappears, protect Rosa Bennett. He told me she is pregnant. She knows nothing. Victor does not know about her yet.
Dante closed his eyes.
Four years.
Carmela had tried to protect Rosa before Rosa ever entered the estate.
And Daniel had not abandoned his pregnant girlfriend.
He had been hunted.
Dante returned home just after noon.
Rosa was in the kitchen cutting strawberries for Sophia.
She saw his face and put down the knife.
“You found something.”
“Yes.”
“Daniel?”
Dante looked at Sophia.
Rosa understood.
“Mrs. Alvarez?”
The cook appeared.
Sophia protested immediately.
“I’m eating.”
“You can eat in the garden.”
“I need six strawberries.”
“You have eight.”
Sophia thought about this.
“Okay.”
When she was gone, Rosa folded her arms.
“Tell me.”
Dante placed Carmela’s letter on the table.
Rosa read.
By the time she reached her own name, tears blurred the page.
“He knew.”
“Yes.”
“He knew I was pregnant.”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t he come home?”
“I don’t know.”
She looked at Dante.
“That isn’t good enough.”
“No.”
“Find out.”
Two simple words.
Not a request.
Dante nodded.
“I will.”
For the next three days, the Falcone estate changed.
Security doubled.
Nobody entered without clearance.
Dante reopened records that had been buried for years.
Rosa remained there because returning to her apartment was impossible.
Sophia considered this arrangement excellent.
She followed Dante everywhere.
Breakfast.
Library.
Garden.
Once, during a meeting with six men in dark suits, she crawled beneath the conference table and tied Dante’s shoelaces together.
He discovered it when he stood.
Nobody laughed.
Dante looked under the table.
Sophia covered her mouth.
“Was that you?”
“No.”
“You’re the only person under there.”
She considered the flaw in her defense.
“Maybe mouse.”
Dante almost smiled.
Rosa appeared, mortified.
“I’m so sorry.”
Dante sat again.
“Meeting adjourned.”
Six hardened men left with suspiciously twitching mouths.
Rosa crawled under the table and retrieved her daughter.
“You cannot sabotage organized crime meetings.”
Sophia frowned.
“What’s org’nized crime?”
Dante coughed.
Rosa glared at him.
“Not one word.”
That evening, Dante found Rosa on the rear terrace.
For once she was not wearing her maid uniform.
Marina had loaned her a soft blue sweater and jeans.
Without the gray dress and apron, Rosa looked younger.
Warmer.
Beautiful.
Dante disliked noticing.
“You should sleep.”
“So should you.”
“I do.”
“Liar.”
His eyebrow lifted.
Rosa immediately regretted it.
Then he sat beside her.
For a while neither spoke.
Finally she asked, “Did you love her?”
“Yes.”
The answer came without hesitation.
Rosa respected that.
“What was she like?”
“Stubborn.”
“Sounds terrible.”
“She was.”
Rosa smiled.
Dante continued.
“She hated expensive restaurants. Loved terrible coffee. Once donated one of my cars because she said nobody needed twelve.”
Rosa laughed.
The sound made him look at her.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“No, what?”
“I just never imagined you having an argument about owning too many cars.”
“I lost.”
“I assumed.”
Their eyes met.
The moment lingered too long.
Dante stood.
Then a gunshot shattered the terrace window.
He moved before Rosa understood what happened.
His body hit hers, driving her to the stone floor.
Glass exploded over them.
“Stay down.”
Another shot struck the wall.
Guards shouted.
Dante drew a weapon and shielded Rosa with his body.
From inside the house came a scream.
“Sophia!”
Rosa tried to rise.
Dante grabbed her.
“Wait.”
“That’s my daughter!”
They ran inside once his guards secured the terrace.
Sophia stood in the hallway with Marina.
Safe.
Rosa collapsed around her.
Dante turned toward his security chief.
“Where?”
“Tree line. Shooter escaped.”
Dante looked toward the shattered glass.
This had not been an attack on him.
The bullet had struck exactly where Rosa had been sitting.
Someone wanted her dead.
Later, security recovered the bullet.
Taped around it was a narrow strip of paper.
Four words.
THE GIRL KNOWS TOO MUCH.
Dante stared at it.
Rosa went pale.
“What girl?”
Nobody answered.
Then Sophia wandered into the room carrying her purple crayon.
She had drawn three stick figures.
A tall man.
A woman.
A little girl between them.
Dante stared at the picture.
Rosa whispered, “Sophia, who is that?”
Sophia pointed.
“Mommy.”
Then herself.
Then Dante.
“And Mister Grumpy.”
For some reason, that frightened Dante more than the bullet.
May you like
Because someone had already taken Carmela from him.
And suddenly he understood he now had two more people he could not bear to lose.
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