Chapter 2 - The Woman Who Was Never Supposed to Find Him
I did not go home that night.
Technically, I didn't have much of a home to go to.
The apartment above Hearth & Honey belonged to Keller too.
Instead, I found myself sitting in the back of Dante Moretti’s SUV with a premature newborn sleeping beside me.
Dante sat opposite us.
“You're staring,” I said.
“At my son.”
“At me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you haven't asked what I do.”
“I know what people say.”
“And?”
“I've had a terrible week. Organized crime isn't currently in my top five problems.”
Marco coughed to hide a laugh.
Dante almost smiled.
Almost.
We drove toward the Upper East Side.
“Where's Matteo’s mother?”
The change in Dante was immediate.
“She died.”
My voice softened.
“During delivery?”
“Three days afterward.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Her name was Elena.”
Dante looked through the window.
“She developed complications. Everything happened quickly.”
“And then somebody tampered with Matteo’s medication?”
“Yes.”
“That's not random.”
“No.”
The SUV entered a private underground garage.
Security surrounded us.
Inside the Moretti residence, I expected gold ceilings and marble statues.
Instead, I found a quiet townhouse filled with dark wood, old books, and men who looked like they slept with guns beneath their pillows.
A doctor met us upstairs.
“Mr. Moretti.”
“Dr. Bennett.”
The doctor examined Matteo.
After several tense minutes, he looked at me.
“Whatever you did bought him time.”
Dante asked, “Will he live?”
“I believe so.”
Dante closed his eyes.
Only for a second.
Then Dr. Bennett continued.
“But there’s something else.”
He produced a small vial.
“This was Matteo’s medication from the clinic.”
“And?”
“The concentration was approximately four times what it should have been.”
I felt sick.
Dante went completely still.
“Could that happen accidentally?”
“Not easily.”
“Who had access?”
“The pharmacy, two nurses, myself...”
He hesitated.
“And members of the family authorized to visit.”
Dante’s eyes sharpened.
“Which family members?”
Before Bennett could answer, a woman appeared in the doorway.
Elegant.
Sixties.
Silver hair.
Pearls.
“Dante.”
He stood.
“Aunt Sofia.”
She looked at Matteo.
Then me.
“Who is this?”
“Clara Reyes.”
“The baker?”
I frowned.
“You know me?”
Her hesitation lasted half a second.
But I saw it.
“No.”
“You just called me the baker.”
Dante slowly turned toward her.
Sofia smiled.
“Everyone is discussing tonight’s situation.”
“Nobody outside this house knows she's here.”
Silence.
Dante’s voice changed.
“Aunt Sofia.”
She straightened.
“I assumed.”
“No, you didn't.”
Marco stepped closer.
Sofia’s face tightened.
“This is ridiculous.”
She turned to leave.
Then Matteo started crying.
A strong cry this time.
I instinctively lifted him.
“Hey. You're okay.”
Sofia stopped.
Her eyes moved to the blanket.
Something flashed across her expression.
Not affection.
Fear.
I saw it.
So did Dante.
He stepped between Sofia and the door.
“Why are you afraid of my son?”
She laughed.
“Don't be absurd.”
“Answer me.”
“He nearly died tonight. Everyone is frightened.”
“You aren't frightened.”
Dante moved closer.
“You're disappointed.”
Sofia slapped him.
Every guard in the hallway froze.
Dante didn't move.
She whispered, “How dare you?”
Then she walked away.
I looked at him.
“Dante.”
“I know.”
“That woman knows something.”
“I know.”
I looked down at Matteo.
Then toward the hallway where Sofia had disappeared.
“You said someone tried to kill him at the hospital.”
“Yes.”
“What if they aren't finished?”
Dante’s eyes met mine.
“They aren't.”
A phone rang downstairs.
Marco answered.
Seconds later, his expression changed.
“Boss.”
“What?”
“We found the nurse who disappeared from the clinic.”
Dante stood.
“Where?”
“Queens.”
“Bring her here.”
Marco didn't move.
Dante noticed.
“What?”
Marco spoke quietly.
“She’s dead.”
The room went silent.
I held Matteo tighter.
And for the first time, I understood something terrifying.
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Whoever wanted this baby gone wasn't simply trying to hide a mistake.
They were cleaning up evidence.
