Chapter 4 - THE FLIGHT TO DOOR COUNTY
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The rain had turned into a torrential downpour by the time the dining room had been cleared of guests.
Forty-eight of Chicago’s most influential socialites had departed into the stormy night in terrified silence.
Vanessa Bellini had been escorted to the estate’s lower holding suites under armed guard, stripped of her communication devices and jewelry.
Upstairs in the private family wing, the air was warm, smelling of cedarwood and dried lavender.
Mara had given me an oversized emerald-green cashmere sweater and a pair of dark tailored trousers from her own closet.
The sweater was impossibly soft, chasing away the cold that had settled into my bones from the soaked uniform.
I sat on the velvet settee in Mara’s private sitting room, watching her pace back and forth in front of the marble hearth.
“He’s alive, Claire,” Mara said, her hands trembling as she wiped tears from her cheeks.
“My nephew is alive.”
“For four years, I went to sleep every night wondering if Vanessa had made them disappear into the lake.”
“She used to whisper things to me when I was at my lowest point in the clinic.”
“She told me that if I relapsed, Luca would blame me for Elena leaving.”
“She made me believe that my addiction was the reason our family fell apart.”
I stood up, walking over to the fireplace, and gently placed my hand on Mara’s arm.
“Your addiction didn't cause this, Mara,” I said softly.
“Vanessa used your vulnerability as a weapon because she was terrified of what you knew.”
“You survived, and you saved that little boy tonight.”
The heavy oak door of the sitting room swung open without a knock.
Luca walked in, his black overcoat already draped over his broad shoulders, his collar turned up against the cold.
His dark hair was slightly damp from the rain, and his eyes held a relentless, burning focus that commanded the room.
Behind him stood Daniel, holding two leather travel bags and a folder filled with aerial maps.
“The helicopter cannot fly through this front,” Luca announced, his deep voice filling the suite.
“The storm over Lake Michigan has grounded all private air traffic until dawn.”
“Then we drive,” Mara said immediately, stepping toward her brother.
“It’s four and a half hours to Door County through the back roads,” Luca replied, looking at his sister with deep affection.
“You are not strong enough for a night drive in this weather, Mara.”
“I’m coming, Luca,” Mara insisted, her jaw setting with the same stubborn determination that defined the Moretti bloodline.
“I am the only person who knows what Elena’s signature looks like on those safety deposit boxes.”
“And I promised Elena that if the day ever came when Luca knew the truth, I would bring him to her myself.”
Luca studied his sister for three long seconds, seeing the fire of absolute sobriety burning in her gaze.
He nodded slowly.
“Fine.”
Then his dark eyes turned toward me, sweeping over the oversized sweater I wore.
A brief, unexpected softness flickered in his sharp features.
“Claire,” Luca said.
“Yes, Mr. Moretti?”
“You’re coming with us.”
I blinked, my heart skipping a beat against my ribs.
“Sir? I’m just a maid. I should stay and help Mrs. Higgins secure the house—”
“You are not staying here,” Luca interrupted, taking two long strides toward me.
“Salvatore Bellini has mobilized sixty enforcers across Cook County.”
“The moment he learns his daughter is in my basement, he will strike at every vulnerable point on this property.”
“Your mother has already been moved from her apartment in Bridgeport to a secure safehouse in Lake Forest under four of my best men.”
My breath caught in my throat in sheer panic.
“My mother? Is she safe?”
“She is having tea with my aunt’s security detail right now,” Luca reassured me, his voice low and remarkably gentle.
“Nobody touches your mother, Claire.”
“I gave you my word.”
He reached out, his large, calloused hand lightly resting against the side of my neck, his thumb brushing my jawline.
The touch was warm, electric, and utterly protective, sending a wave of heat straight to my core.
May you like
“You stood by my sister when she was completely alone at that table,” Luca whispered.
“You don't leave my side until this is finished.”
