Chapter 6 - Elena Came Back From the Dead
We found Elena before sunset.
Or rather, she found us.
At 6:17 p.m., every screen in the safe house went black.
Then her face appeared.
Luca stood so quickly his chair overturned.
"Elena."
She stared through the camera.
"Luca."
His voice cracked.
"Where are you?"
"I can't tell you."
"You let me think you were dead."
"I had to."
"For eleven months?"
Her face crumpled.
"Every day nearly killed me."
"Then come home."
"I can't."
Noah heard her voice.
He turned.
"Mama!"
Elena covered her mouth.
She began crying.
Luca lifted him toward the screen.
Noah slapped both hands against it.
"Mama! Mama!"
I couldn't watch.
Finally Elena looked at me.
"Mara."
"Where's my mother?"
"Alive."
"Salvatore has her."
"Because you led her to him."
Pain crossed her face.
"I didn't know."
"Then explain."
Elena inhaled.
"Antonio Moretti had two families."
Luca stiffened.
"Us," she continued, "and another."
"Salvatore?"
"No."
She shook her head.
"Your father wasn't the head of the Moretti organization."
Luca frowned.
"Of course he was."
"He was protecting the real heir."
"Who?"
Elena looked at me.
"Mara."
I laughed.
Nobody else did.
"What?"
"Antonio changed his will three days before he died. Half his legitimate companies went to Luca."
"And the other half?"
"To his daughter."
My stomach dropped.
"Me."
"Yes."
Luca stared.
"But nobody knew she existed."
"Salvatore did."
Everything clicked.
Money.
Power.
Inheritance.
"That's why he wants me."
"Partly."
"What's the other part?"
Elena looked at Noah.
"Antonio left control of the Moretti family trust to his bloodline under one condition."
Luca's voice became cold.
"What condition?"
"Control passes jointly to his eldest surviving son and daughter."
Luca and me.
"If either dies?"
"The survivor controls everything."
I felt sick.
"So Salvatore wants both of us dead."
"No."
Elena's answer came immediately.
"He needs Mara alive."
"Why?"
"Because there's another clause."
She swallowed.
"If Mara signs away her claim voluntarily, control transfers to Antonio's surviving brother."
Salvatore.
Luca swore.
"Then why kill you?"
Elena's eyes hardened.
"Because I found the will."
Silence.
"I discovered Salvatore had replaced Antonio's original testament after his death. I tried to expose him."
"So you staged your death."
"I had no choice."
"You abandoned Noah."
Her face collapsed.
"I saved Noah."
Luca stepped closer to the screen.
"You left our son in a church."
"Because Salvatore's men were following me. If I kept Noah, they would have taken him."
Luca looked away.
"I thought you were dead."
"I know."
"You should have trusted me."
"I couldn't."
"Why?"
Elena's next words destroyed what little peace remained.
"Because someone inside your house was working for Salvatore."
Luca froze.
"Who?"
"I didn't know."
The screen flickered.
Elena looked frightened.
"They found me."
"Elena!"
"Listen. Catherine knows where Antonio's original will is hidden."
"Where?"
"She never told me."
A crash sounded behind Elena.
She turned.
Then looked back.
"Protect Mara. Protect Noah."
"Elena—"
"And Luca?"
He stared.
"I never stopped loving you."
The screen went black.
Luca whispered:
"Trace it."
Marco was already moving.
Thirty seconds later he stopped.
His face changed.
"What?"
"The signal came from inside this property."
Every weapon in the room came out.
Elena wasn't miles away.
May you like
She was somewhere inside the safe house.
Then a gunshot sounded upstairs.
