Chapter 4 - The Woman He Called Family
Lorenzo motioned us behind the desk.
He opened the office door.
Aunt Sofia stood alone.
Sixty-two.
Silver hair.
Black dress.
No weapon visible.
Her eyes immediately found the blood.
“Oh, Lorenzo.”
“Don’t.”
“You’re hurt.”
“Marco shot me.”
Her expression never changed.
“Then Marco will die.”
“Isabella ordered it.”
A pause.
“Then so will Isabella.”
Lorenzo studied her.
“You sound surprised.”
“I am.”
“Really?”
He held up his father’s letter.
For the first time, Sofia lost control.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
So did Lorenzo.
“My father knew.”
Sofia’s voice softened.
“Your father suspected everyone.”
“He traced the accounts to you.”
“He was wrong.”
“Was he?”
Sofia stepped inside.
“Lorenzo, you’re bleeding. Give me the documents and let me call a doctor.”
“Which doctor?”
“What?”
“One loyal to me? Or one loyal to you?”
Her eyes hardened.
Then Emma sneezed behind the desk.
Sofia turned.
“What was that?”
Lorenzo blocked her path.
“Leave.”
“Grace is here?”
I stood.
Emma remained behind me.
Sofia stared.
Understanding spread across her face.
“The child.”
Lorenzo said, “What about her?”
Sofia didn’t answer.
He stepped closer.
“What about Emma?”
“She heard something she shouldn’t have.”
My hands went cold.
“You knew?”
Sofia looked at me almost regretfully.
“I told Isabella to keep Marco under control. I never told anyone to harm your daughter.”
“How generous.”
“This has nothing to do with you.”
“You put my three-year-old on a list of problems to be handled.”
“I did no such thing.”
Lorenzo’s voice dropped.
“Get out.”
Sofia stared at him.
“I loved you like a son.”
“Then you should have been better at it.”
A second voice came from the hallway.
“You always were sentimental.”
Isabella entered.
Marco stood behind her with a gun.
Sofia turned furiously.
“You idiot. I told you to wait.”
And there it was.
The truth.
Lorenzo gave a small nod.
“Thank you.”
Sofia realized her mistake.
Isabella smiled.
“You’re dying anyway.”
Marco aimed at Lorenzo.
I pulled Emma down.
Then another voice thundered from the hall.
“Drop it!”
Vincent.
Three armed security officers stood behind him.
Marco spun.
Lorenzo shouted, “Nobody shoots!”
Everyone froze.
Two groups faced each other.
Vincent looked at Lorenzo.
“Tell me you have a plan.”
“I was hoping you did.”
“That’s disappointing.”
Isabella laughed.
“You think Vincent came to save you?”
Lorenzo glanced at him.
“Did you?”
Vincent slowly lowered his weapon.
“I came because Marco ordered every camera on the west wing disabled. Then Isabella tried to convince me you were dead before anyone found a body.”
Sofia snapped, “Vincent, stay out of this.”
He looked at her.
“You stole from the family.”
“I protected it.”
“You stole eighty-seven million dollars.”
Emma whispered, “That’s a lot.”
Vincent almost smiled.
“Yes, kid. It is.”
Isabella suddenly grabbed Sofia.
Her gun pressed against the older woman’s ribs.
Everything changed.
Marco shouted, “Isabella!”
“Shut up.”
Sofia stared at her.
“You stupid girl.”
“I learned from you.”
Isabella backed toward the hallway.
“You promised me Lorenzo’s position.”
“I promised you nothing.”
“You said when Lorenzo was gone—”
“I said we would discuss the future.”
Isabella laughed bitterly.
“You used me.”
Sofia replied, “Of course I used you.”
Lorenzo looked at Marco.
“Still feeling loyal?”
Marco’s gun lowered slightly.
Isabella screamed, “Don’t listen to him!”
Lorenzo kept his eyes on Marco.
“She’ll blame you for everything.”
Marco said nothing.
“The shooting. The search. The conspiracy.”
“Stop talking.”
“Isabella walks away rich. Sofia claims she was threatened. And you become the man who murdered Lorenzo Duca.”
Marco’s breathing changed.
Isabella knew she was losing him.
She aimed at Lorenzo.
I saw it first.
“Lorenzo!”
He moved.
Vincent tackled Marco.
The gun fired into the ceiling.
Security rushed forward.
Isabella was disarmed.
Sofia was pulled away.
Marco hit the floor.
And Lorenzo—
Lorenzo collapsed.
Emma screamed his name.
I dropped beside him.
“Lorenzo!”
His eyes fluttered.
“Still here.”
“No, you’re not. You’re going into shock.”
Vincent knelt.
“What do you need?”
“An ambulance. Now.”
Lorenzo caught my wrist.
“No police.”
I looked directly at him.
“That stopped being your decision about four chapters of disaster ago.”
He blinked.
“What?”
“Nothing. Stay awake.”
Emma pressed another cartoon bandage against his hand.
“Shh.”
Lorenzo’s eyes found hers.
“I remember.”
“I’ll protect you.”
His fingers closed weakly around hers.
May you like
“I believe you.”
Then his eyes closed.
