Chapter 7 - THE CHILD ROMAN NEVER MENTIONEDThree days later, Josephine learned that Roman had a son.
Not from Roman.
That was the problem.
She was at the clinic supervising Kayla’s prenatal follow-up when Dominic appeared at the nurses’ station.
He looked worse than usual.
“Need you.”
Josephine did not look up from the chart.
“Is someone bleeding?”
“No.”
“Pregnant?”
“No.”
“Then take a number.”
“Roman’s kid disappeared.”
Her pen stopped.
She looked up slowly.
“Roman’s what?”
Dominic closed his eyes.
“Ah.”
Josephine stood.
“His what?”
“Son.”
The word echoed.
“Roman has a son.”
“Yes.”
“A human son.”
“As opposed to?”
“Dominic.”
“Right. Bad time.”
Josephine’s pulse climbed.
“How old?”
“Ten.”
Ten.
Roman had a ten-year-old child.
She felt absurdly betrayed.
They were not dating.
They had kissed exactly zero times.
He owed her nothing personal.
And yet somehow this felt enormous.
“Where is Roman?”
“On his way to Vermont.”
“Vermont?”
“The boy lives at a boarding school near Stowe.”
Josephine stared.
“His ten-year-old son lives at boarding school in another state.”
Dominic winced.
“That sounds bad when you say it.”
“It sounded bad before I said it.”
“What’s the kid’s name?”
“Gabriel.”
Josephine grabbed her coat.
“I’m coming.”
Roman called before they reached the highway.
Dominic connected him to the car speakers.
“What is she doing there?”
Josephine leaned toward the dashboard.
“Learning you have a child.”
Silence.
“Josephine.”
“Oh, good. You remember my name.”
“This is not the time.”
“No. The time would have been sometime before now.”
Dominic stared straight ahead.
Roman’s voice cooled.
“Gabriel’s situation is complicated.”
“He is ten.”
“I know his age.”
“That’s encouraging.”
“Josephine.”
“What happened?”
Roman exhaled.
“He left campus after lunch.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“No one knows.”
“Any threats?”
“We don’t know.”
“Does Salvatore know where he is?”
Another silence.
Josephine’s anger vanished.
“Oh, God.”
“Gabriel doesn’t use my surname.”
“What name?”
“Gabriel Hart.”
“His mother?”
Roman’s voice changed.
“Dead.”
Josephine looked out the window.
“When?”
“Seven years ago.”
She softened slightly.
“What happened?”
“Car accident.”
Dominic’s hands tightened on the wheel.
Josephine noticed.
Roman continued.
“Afterward I moved Gabriel away from Boston.”
“You sent him away.”
“I protected him.”
The familiar argument.
Josephine closed her eyes.
“Does he know who you are?”
“He knows I’m his father.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
“No.”
There it was.
“He thinks I run shipping companies.”
“You do.”
“You know what I mean.”
Josephine did.
They reached the school after dark.
Roman stood in the headmaster’s office.
No coat.
Tie loosened.
Fear stripped him bare.
“He left at 12:46,” the headmaster said. “Camera shows him walking toward the south trail.”
“Why wasn’t anyone with him?”
“We are investigating.”
Roman stepped forward.
“You lost my son.”
Josephine entered.
“Roman.”
He turned.
Something in his face cracked with relief.
Then anger returned.
“I told you not to come.”
“I ignored you.”
The headmaster excused himself quickly.
Josephine looked at Roman.
“You have every right to be terrified. You do not get to terrorize everyone else.”
“He’s been gone seven hours.”
“I know.”
Roman paced.
“He doesn’t know these woods.”
“Did search-and-rescue deploy?”
“Yes.”
“State police?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Roman looked at her.
“He left a note.”
Josephine waited.
Roman handed it over.
Dad,
I know you lied.
I know Mom didn’t die in an accident.
I found the newspaper.
I know who Salvatore is.
I’m going to find out why everybody thinks I’m too stupid to know my own family.
Gabriel.
Josephine looked up.
Roman’s face was gray.
“What happened to his mother?”
He turned away.
“Roman.”
“Her car was forced off the road.”
Josephine’s stomach dropped.
“By who?”
“A crew trying to pressure me.”
“Did Gabriel know she was in danger?”
“No.”
“And you never told him.”
“He was three.”
“He’s ten now.”
“I didn’t know how.”
Josephine’s voice softened.
“So you kept choosing later.”
Roman looked at her.
“Yes.”
A radio crackled outside.
Then shouting.
A search officer entered.
“We found tracks near the service road.”
Roman moved.
The officer blocked him.
“There’s more.”
Roman’s face hardened.
“What?”
“Vehicle tracks.”
Everyone went still.
“Someone picked him up.”
Roman stopped breathing.
His phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A child’s voice came through.
“Dad?”
Roman’s knees almost buckled.
“Gabriel.”
Josephine had never heard his voice sound like that.
“Where are you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Who’s with you?”
A man spoke.
Matteo.
“Hello, cousin.”
Roman’s face became stone.
Josephine closed her eyes.
Matteo laughed.
“Turns out your secret wasn’t very secret.”
Roman’s voice was almost inaudible.
“If you touch him—”
“Always threats.”
“Matteo.”
“You want Gabriel back?”
“Yes.”
“Then stop cooperating with the government.”
Roman’s eyes closed.
Josephine watched him.
Matteo continued.
“All files. All statements. Gone.”
Roman said nothing.
“And you publicly step down from DeLuca Holdings. Salvatore takes control.”
“No.”
A sound.
Gabriel gasped.
Roman’s face changed.
“Wait.”
Josephine touched his arm.
He looked at her.
She shook her head slowly.
Not no to saving Gabriel.
No to surrendering without thinking.
Roman swallowed.
Matteo said, “Midnight tomorrow.”
The call ended.
Roman threw the phone across the office.
It shattered against the wall.
“Roman.”
He turned.
Josephine had never seen such rage.
“They have my son.”
“I know.”
“I did this.”
“No.”
“He is in this because of my name.”
“Yes.”
That stopped him.
Josephine stepped closer.
“Your choices helped create the danger. That is different from causing Matteo to kidnap a child.”
Roman looked broken.
“I kept Gabriel away because I thought distance would save him.”
“And now?”
“Now I don’t know what saves anyone.”
Josephine held his gaze.
“Truth.”
He laughed bitterly.
“Truth won’t get him out.”
“No. But if you get him back and lie again, you’ll lose him anyway.”
Roman stared.
She continued.
“When this ends, he deserves all of you. Not money. Not guards. Not a school in another state. You.”
Roman looked away.
“I don’t know how to be his father.”
“You learn.”
“From who?”
“From him.”
The answer stayed in the room.
Then Dominic entered.
“We traced the call.”
Roman turned.
“Where?”
“Old ski lodge twenty miles north.”
Roman grabbed his coat.
Dominic blocked him.
“State police are assembling.”
“We don’t have time.”
“We do this right.”
Roman stared.
Months earlier, Dominic would have followed Roman into hell with three guns and no questions.
Now he was asking him to wait for police.
Everything was changing.
Josephine stepped between them.
“Roman.”
His eyes met hers.
“Choose Gabriel.”
He frowned.
“That is exactly what I’m doing.”
“No.”
She touched his chest.
“Choose the version of Gabriel who has to live after tonight.”
Roman went still.
“Do not make his rescue the first lesson you give him about killing.”
Outside, snow began falling.
Twenty-three miles away, Gabriel Hart sat tied to a chair in an abandoned ski lodge.
Matteo stood beside the window.
Salvatore entered.
The boy looked up.
Salvatore studied him.
“Same eyes as your father.”
Gabriel swallowed.
“You’re my great-uncle.”
Salvatore smiled.
“You did your research.”
“My dad says research matters.”
“Your father says many things.”
Gabriel’s chin lifted.
“He’s coming.”
“Yes.”
Salvatore looked toward the snowy road.
“He always comes for family.”
May you like
Then his smile faded.
“That is why he was so easy to defeat.”
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