Chapter 3 - The Mafia Heir at Her Door
“That’s impossible.”
I stared at my father’s photograph.
Alessandro stood across the table.
“My father hated organized crime.”
“He hated Victor Sloane more.”
“Why would he work with your family?”
“Because Sloane was stealing from both of them.”
Alessandro pushed several documents toward me.
Construction contracts.
Bank transfers.
Shell corporations.
My father’s handwritten notes.
I recognized his writing instantly.
“No.”
I touched the page.
Liam leaned over my shoulder.
“Liz…”
“Don’t.”
I kept reading.
One company appeared repeatedly.
Vitali Urban Development.
But beside several transfers, my father had written:
Unauthorized. Sloane redirecting funds. A.V. unaware.
I looked up.
“A.V.?”
“Antonio Vitali,” Alessandro said. “My father.”
“Where is he?”
“Dead.”
I swallowed.
“When?”
“Two years ago.”
Alessandro pulled out another document.
“Sloane had people inside our organization. My father suspected someone close to him was helping.”
“Who?”
“We never proved it.”
Marco spoke from the doorway.
“Until tonight.”
He placed his phone on the table.
A photograph showed the sedan that had followed Alessandro.
Beside it stood a man in a dark coat.
Alessandro’s expression hardened.
“Matteo.”
“Who is he?” I asked.
“My cousin.”
I stared at him.
“Your family is working with Sloane?”
“One member may be.”
“That’s enough.”
I stood.
“I’m leaving.”
“Elizabeth.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“You just told me it was your name.”
“Not when you say it like you’ve known it longer than I have.”
He blocked my path without touching me.
“Listen.”
“No. You listen. My parents died because of this.”
“I know.”
“And now I’m pregnant with a Vitali child while Victor Sloane is watching me.”
“Yes.”
“Do you understand how insane that sounds?”
“Completely.”
“Then move.”
“No.”
My eyes flashed.
“You promised I could leave.”
“Tomorrow.”
“It’s after midnight. Technically, it’s tomorrow.”
For the first time, Marco almost smiled.
Alessandro shot him a look.
Marco disappeared.
“Cute,” Alessandro said.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
He lowered his voice.
“Sloane believed Elizabeth Mercer disappeared four years ago. Tonight, somehow, he found Emma Hayes.”
I stopped.
“How?”
“That is the question.”
Liam suddenly looked uncomfortable.
I noticed.
“Liam?”
He said nothing.
“Liam.”
“I might know.”
My stomach dropped.
“What did you do?”
“Three weeks ago, someone contacted me.”
“Who?”
“He said he was a federal investigator.”
Alessandro’s eyes became cold.
“Name?”
“Daniel Reeves.”
Marco reappeared from the hallway.
“There’s no federal investigator assigned to Sloane named Daniel Reeves.”
Liam went pale.
I stared at him.
“What did you tell him?”
“Nothing important.”
“What did you tell him?”
“He already knew about your parents.”
“Liam!”
“He said their case was being reopened.”
“And?”
“He asked whether you were safe.”
I couldn’t breathe.
“You told him where I live.”
“I thought I was helping.”
“You told him where I live!”
“I’m sorry.”
Alessandro stepped between us.
“Enough.”
I rounded on him.
“Stay out of this.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because panic wastes time.”
I hated that he was right.
Marco’s phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
“Alessandro.”
“What?”
“We have movement downstairs.”
“How many?”
“Three men entered the garage.”
Liam whispered, “Police?”
“No,” Marco said.
Alessandro immediately took my hand.
I pulled back.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting you out.”
“You said this place was secure.”
“It is.”
“Then why leave?”
“Because if they know you’re here, someone gave them the address.”
He looked toward Marco.
“And I want to know who.”
Within minutes, we were moving through a private service elevator.
No shouting.
No chaos.
That somehow made it worse.
Alessandro stayed beside me.
“Where are we going?”
“A house outside the city.”
“Another Vitali property?”
“No.”
“Whose?”
He looked at me.
“Yours.”
I stopped walking.
“What?”
“My father bought it four years ago.”
“Why?”
“For Thomas Mercer.”
The elevator doors opened.
Alessandro continued.
“Your father asked him for one thing if anything happened.”
“What?”
“To keep you alive.”
I stared at him.
“You knew I existed?”
“My father did.”
“And you?”
“Not until tonight.”
We entered the underground garage.
Then Marco called from behind us.
“Boss.”
Alessandro turned.
Marco held up his phone.
“We found what they were searching for.”
“What?”
Marco looked at me.
“Elizabeth’s father left a second ledger.”
My mouth went dry.
“Where?”
Marco answered.
“That’s the problem.”
He showed us a scanned note written in my father’s handwriting.
May you like
Elizabeth has the key. She just doesn’t know it.
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