Chapter 4 - The Mafia Boss Who Discovered His Brother's Betrayal|
I ran from the kitchen so quickly that I nearly collided with Luca.
He caught my elbow.
"Ella?"
"My mother."
His expression changed.
"What happened?"
"Michael is at her house."
Luca went completely still.
"Are you certain?"
I nodded.
"She called me. She said he'd arrived. Then the line went dead."
Luca immediately took out his phone.
"Daniel."
His security chief answered.
"Sir?"
"Find Michael. I want to know whether he's at Evelyn Brooks's address."
My heart raced.
"How do you know my mother's name?"
Luca looked at me.
"I asked for a discreet welfare check after Claudia mentioned her."
I stared.
He noticed my expression.
"I should have told you."
I looked away.
For years, I'd worked for wealthy families.
I'd learned that powerful men often believed concern gave them permission to know everything about everyone.
But right now, my mother might be in danger.
I didn't have the energy to argue.
"Can we go there?"
Luca nodded.
"Yes."
Then he paused.
"But Noah needs to know where we're going."
I looked toward the stairs.
His little boy was finally sleeping.
The thought of leaving him made my chest ache.
"Mrs. Ramirez is with him," Luca said. "Daniel will remain here until we arrange additional security."
I nodded.
We left within minutes.
The drive to my mother's apartment felt endless.
Rain streaked the windshield.
Chicago's streets glittered beneath the headlights.
Luca sat beside me in the back seat.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then he asked:
"Your father worked for my family?"
I swallowed.
"Apparently."
"His name?"
"Thomas Brooks."
Luca's expression changed.
"What?"
I turned.
"Did you know him?"
He looked away.
For several seconds, he didn't answer.
Then whispered:
"I remember that name."
My stomach tightened.
"From where?"
"My father's office."
I stared.
Luca continued.
"When I was twenty-one, I heard my father arguing with a man named Thomas Brooks."
My heart began pounding.
"What were they arguing about?"
"Financial records."
I closed my eyes.
Exactly what my mother had said.
Luca looked toward the window.
"My father was angry. He accused Thomas of asking questions he shouldn't have been asking."
"And?"
"I left before the conversation ended."
I swallowed.
"What happened afterward?"
Luca's face darkened.
"A few days later, I heard Thomas had died."
My eyes filled with tears.
For years, I'd believed my father had simply been unlucky.
A terrible accident.
A life ended too soon.
Now everything felt different.
"Why didn't you investigate?"
Luca looked at me.
"I didn't know there was anything to investigate."
His voice was quiet.
Regretful.
I wanted to be angry.
But I could see that he was remembering the past in a new way too.
When we reached my mother's building, two police vehicles were already outside.
My stomach dropped.
I opened the car door before it fully stopped.
"Ella!" Luca called.
I ran toward the entrance.
An officer stopped me.
"Ma'am?"
"My mother lives here!"
He looked at me.
"Evelyn Brooks?"
"Yes!"
His expression softened.
"She's safe."
My knees nearly gave way.
"Where is she?"
"Inside. She's giving a statement."
I covered my mouth.
Thank God.
Luca approached.
"What happened?"
The officer looked toward the building.
"A man came to her apartment asking for a document. There was an argument. A neighbor called police."
My heart pounded.
"Michael?"
The officer nodded.
"That's the name she gave."
"Where is he?"
"He left before officers arrived."
I gripped the railing.
Then my mother appeared.
She looked pale.
Frightened.
But alive.
"Mom!"
I ran into her arms.
She held me tightly.
"Oh, sweetheart."
I began crying.
For a moment, I was sixteen again, terrified of losing the only parent I had left.
Then my mother looked past me.
Her expression changed.
"Luca Moretti."
He nodded respectfully.
"Mrs. Brooks."
She stared.
"You look just like your father."
Luca's face tightened.
My mother lowered her eyes.
"I wish that were a happier thing to say."
Silence.
Then Luca asked quietly:
"What did Michael want?"
My mother took a shaky breath.
"A notebook."
I frowned.
"What notebook?"
She looked at me.
"Your father's."
My heart raced.
"Mom?"
She swallowed.
"Thomas kept copies of some business records."
Luca went still.
"Where are they?"
My mother hesitated.
Then whispered:
"Somewhere Michael can't reach."
I looked at her.
"Where?"
She turned toward me.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"In the only place your father knew I'd never let anyone search."
My stomach tightened.
"What place?"
She looked directly into my eyes.
Then said:
"Your brother's old bedroom."
I froze.
My younger brother, Ethan, was deaf.
He was twenty-one now.
And he had moved to California two years earlier.
But his childhood bedroom remained untouched.
My mother continued:
"Your father hid something inside the wall before he died."
Luca's expression hardened.
"What?"
She shook her head.
"I never opened it."
I stared at her.
"Why?"
Her voice broke.
May you like
"Because he told me it would put both my children in danger."
And suddenly, I understood that my father's death, Michael's disappearance, and Noah's attempted removal might be connected by something hidden inside an ordinary bedroom.
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