Chapter 5 - THE COAT CLOSET
Panic seized my chest.
I grabbed Benjamin, pulling him off the bed. "Ben, we have to hide. Now."
"Miss Claire, what's wrong?" he whimpered.
"Shh. Don't make a sound."
I dragged him toward the heavy oak wardrobe in the corner of his room. We slipped inside, pulling the doors shut just as the bedroom door handle began to rattle.
Through the slats of the wardrobe, I watched the bedroom door burst open.
Two men in dark suits stepped inside. They weren't Luca's security. They were Bellini men.
"Room's empty," one of them grunted.
Vanessa walked in right behind them. She was still wearing the red gown, but it was torn at the hem. She looked deranged.
"They have to be here," she hissed. "Luca’s car is still in the driveway. Find the boy. Dominic needs him as collateral."
Dominic. Her brother.
They were going to kidnap Benjamin to stop Luca from destroying their family.
"Check the closets," the taller man said.
My heart stopped. I wrapped my arms around Benjamin, pressing his face into my chest so he wouldn't scream. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying to God.
Footsteps approached the wardrobe.
A hand grasped the handle.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out downstairs.
The men froze. Vanessa gasped.
"What was that?" she demanded.
Another gunshot. The sound of glass shattering.
"It's Luca," one of the men said, pulling a weapon from his jacket. "He’s in the foyer. Let’s go!"
They ran out of the room, leaving the door wide open. Vanessa hesitated for a second, her eyes scanning the room, before she cursed and followed them.
I didn't move for five full minutes. Benjamin was trembling violently against me.
"It's okay," I whispered into his hair. "Daddy is protecting us."
When the house finally went silent, I slowly pushed the wardrobe doors open. I crept to the hallway, peering over the balcony.
The foyer was a mess. A shattered vase lay on the marble floor.
Luca stood by the front door, his gun drawn. The two Bellini men were nowhere to be seen.
"Mr. Moretti!" I called out softly.
He looked up, relief flooding his face. "Claire. Are you and Ben hurt?"
"No. We hid." I hurried down the stairs with Benjamin. Luca dropped to his knees, pulling his son into a desperate embrace.
"I've got you, Ben. I've got you," Luca whispered.
"Daddy, Vanessa tried to take me," Ben cried.
Luca’s eyes hardened as he looked over Ben’s shoulder at me. "They broke in through the kitchen. My guards outside were compromised. We have to leave. Now."
"Where?"
"A safe house." Luca stood up. "Grab Ben’s coat. Meet me at the garage."
I ran to the hall closet, throwing the doors open. I reached for Benjamin's small blue puffer jacket.
As I pulled it off the hanger, something heavy fell from the top shelf and crashed onto the floor.
I looked down.
It was a wooden rosary.
But it wasn't just any rosary. It was made of dark mahogany, with a silver crucifix. I recognized it immediately.
It belonged to my mother.
I dropped the coat. My hands began to shake as I picked up the beads.
My mother had lost this rosary three years ago. She had cried for weeks because it was a family heirloom.
But my mother had never been inside the Moretti estate. She had never met Luca. She had never met Caroline.
So why was her rosary hidden on the top shelf of the Moretti coat closet?
"Claire!" Luca yelled from the garage door. "Hurry!"
I shoved the rosary into my apron pocket and ran toward them, my mind spinning with a terrifying new realization.
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Vanessa hadn't just planted evidence.
Someone in my own family was connected to the night Caroline died.
