Chapter 4 - What Her Father BuriedEmily stared at the underground survey spread across Luca’s dining table.
Not the cooks.
Not the guards.
Not the cleaning staff.
Not the executives occupying the secure apartments below Luca’s penthouse.
The building transformed from luxury residence to locked fortress.
Emily watched it happen from the kitchen.
Men spoke into earpieces.
Elevators were disabled.
Doors were sealed.
Laptop screens filled with surveillance footage.
Daniel sat beside her with an ice pack pressed against his cheek.
“You okay?” Emily asked for the fifth time.
“No.”
She looked at him.
Daniel sighed.
“But I’m alive.”
Emily took his hand.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“All of it.”
“Vincent kidnapped me. You didn’t.”
“He kidnapped you because of the shop.”
“No. He kidnapped me because he’s a psychopath.”
Daniel squeezed her hand.
“You don’t get to take responsibility for crimes other people commit.”
Emily looked at him.
“When did you become smarter than me?”
“Probably around twelve.”
She almost laughed.
It felt strange.
The elevator doors across the room opened manually.
Luca emerged with Marco.
“Everyone with access to this floor has been accounted for,” Marco said.
“How many?”
“Twenty-six.”
“And the burner?”
“Last signal came from thirty-one.”
Emily glanced upward.
“This is floor thirty-two.”
“Yes,” Luca said.
“What’s below us?”
“My private office, security center, and four executive suites.”
Daniel sat straighter.
“So the traitor works for you?”
“Probably.”
“Or lives here,” Emily added.
Luca looked at her.
She shrugged.
“If Moretti called someone here, that person had to answer. So unless your employees sleep at work…”
Marco gave her an approving glance.
“She’s right.”
Luca checked his watch.
“Pull the overnight entry logs.”
A security specialist did.
Seven people had remained on thirty-one overnight.
Marco.
Two analysts.
Three guards.
And Luca’s cousin, Anthony DeLuca.
Emily saw Luca’s face change.
“Your cousin?”
Marco quietly said, “Anthony has access.”
Luca said nothing.
Anthony was thirty-three, charming, reckless, and had grown up beside Luca like a brother.
Their fathers had been brothers.
Their mothers had once shared Sunday dinners.
When Luca’s father died, Anthony had stood beside Luca at the funeral.
When Luca inherited enemies along with an empire, Anthony had promised loyalty.
Marco lowered his voice.
“Could be one of the guards.”
“Bring everyone to the conference room.”
Twenty minutes later, seven people sat at the long walnut table.
Anthony lounged in his chair.
“This is ridiculous.”
Luca stood near the window.
“Nobody accused you.”
“You locked my phone in a box and searched my apartment.”
“I did that to everyone.”
Anthony smiled.
“Not yourself.”
“Would you like to search me?”
One of the guards almost coughed.
Anthony leaned back.
“What exactly are we looking for?”
“A phone.”
“Whose?”
“Moretti’s contact.”
The room went quiet.
Anthony’s amusement vanished.
“You think someone here is helping Vincent?”
“I know someone is.”
One of the analysts spoke.
“Mr. DeLuca, we ran electronic scans. Nothing.”
Luca glanced at Emily, who stood just outside the glass conference doors with Daniel.
He had told her she did not need to attend.
She had replied that someone had attacked her in his home, so she wanted to see the faces of everyone who might have helped.
Luca admired that more than he wanted to.
Inside the room, Marco placed a map on the screen.
“Burner ping originated inside a twenty-meter radius.”
Anthony pointed.
“That includes the elevator shaft.”
Marco nodded.
“And the service corridor.”
Anthony spread his hands.
“So Moretti could’ve planted it.”
Luca studied him.
“Possibly.”
Anthony smiled again.
That smile bothered Emily.
She didn’t know why.
She had spent years working at Carter Auto beside mechanics, insurance adjusters, vendors, desperate customers, and aggressive debt collectors.
She knew when someone was pretending to be relaxed.
Anthony’s right foot had been tapping beneath the table since Marco mentioned the service corridor.
Emily stepped inside.
Every man looked at her.
Anthony frowned.
“Who is she?”
“The woman Moretti tried to kill last night,” Luca said.
Anthony’s face softened instantly.
“Jesus. I’m sorry.”
Emily watched him.
“Were you here last night?”
“Yes.”
“What were you doing?”
Anthony laughed.
“Is she interrogating me now?”
Luca didn’t laugh.
“Answer her.”
Anthony’s jaw tightened.
“I was asleep.”
“Until what time?”
“Maybe one.”
“The attack happened at twelve forty-seven.”
“I woke up when the alarm started.”
Emily looked at Marco.
“What time did the phone ping?”
“Twelve forty-two.”
She turned to Anthony.
“You were asleep.”
“Yes.”
“How did you know the attack happened after midnight?”
Anthony’s eyes narrowed.
“I assumed.”
“You just said the alarm woke you around one.”
“That’s after midnight.”
“Right.”
Emily nodded.
Then she looked down at his wrist.
Anthony wore an expensive watch.
On his cuff was a faint black smear.
Grease.
Emily recognized it instantly.
“What?”
Anthony noticed her staring.
“Nothing.”
“No, say it.”
Emily stepped closer.
“You have graphite lubricant on your cuff.”
Nobody spoke.
Anthony looked down.
“So?”
“The service elevators use graphite lubricant on the manual track.”
Marco looked at her.
“How do you know?”
“My father repaired elevators before he opened the shop.”
Emily pointed toward the private elevators.
“The residue is almost impossible to get off fabric.”
Anthony’s face changed.
Only slightly.
But Luca saw it.
“Search the service shaft,” he ordered.
Anthony stood.
“This is insane.”
“Sit.”
“Luca—”
“Sit down.”
Anthony sat.
Two guards left.
Seven minutes passed.
Nobody spoke.
Then Marco’s radio crackled.
“We found something.”
Luca extended his hand.
A guard entered carrying a plastic evidence bag.
Inside was a cheap black phone.
Anthony stared at it.
“Not mine.”
“Found behind the emergency control panel,” the guard said.
“Anybody could’ve put it there.”
Marco took the device.
“It’s locked.”
Emily watched Anthony.
He looked frightened now.
Not surprised.
Frightened.
Luca placed both hands on the table.
“Anthony.”
“Don’t.”
“Give me the code.”
“I don’t know the code.”
“Anthony.”
“I said I don’t know!”
Luca walked around the table.
Anthony stood again.
Marco moved toward him.
Luca raised a hand.
He wanted no one between them.
“You’re my blood.”
Anthony’s eyes shone.
“Exactly.”
“So tell me I’m wrong.”
“You are.”
“Look at me and tell me.”
Anthony did.
“You’re wrong.”
The phone rang.
Everyone froze.
Marco placed it on speaker.
Vincent Moretti’s voice filled the room.
“Anthony?”
Nobody moved.
“Anthony, you there?”
Luca stared at his cousin.
Vincent continued.
“You said DeLuca would be out all night. What happened?”
Anthony closed his eyes.
Emily felt Daniel take her hand behind her.
Luca’s voice was terrifyingly calm.
“Hello, Vincent.”
Silence.
Then Moretti laughed.
“Well.”
Anthony backed away from the table.
“Luca, listen—”
Luca picked up the phone.
“You have something that belongs to me.”
Moretti’s voice hardened.
“The Carter property doesn’t belong to you.”
“I wasn’t talking about property.”
Emily’s heart stopped for half a beat.
Moretti understood.
“So that’s what this is.”
“What?”
“You care about the girl.”
Luca glanced through the glass at Emily.
“Your mistake is assuming that matters.”
“Oh, it matters.”
Moretti chuckled.
“Because men like you only become stupid for two reasons. Family and women.”
Luca stared at Anthony.
“You already tried family.”
Anthony lowered his head.
Moretti continued, “The woman’s shop sits over something worth much more than two million dollars.”
Emily stepped closer.
“What?”
Moretti heard her.
“There she is.”
Luca’s hand tightened around the phone.
“What’s under the property?”
“Ask her dead father.”
Emily felt sick.
“My father didn’t know anything.”
Moretti laughed.
“You sure about that?”
The call disconnected.
Luca turned immediately.
“Marco. Everything on Carter Auto. Property records. Permits. Previous owners. Underground surveys.”
Anthony moved toward the door.
Two guards blocked him.
“Luca.”
Luca looked at him.
Anthony’s confidence disappeared.
“You don’t understand.”
“Then explain.”
Anthony swallowed.
“Vincent came to me six months ago.”
“For what?”
“He said there was money beneath that property.”
“What money?”
“I don’t know.”
“You betrayed me without knowing why?”
“I had debts.”
Luca’s face hardened.
“How much?”
“Three million.”
Marco stared at him.
“How the hell do you owe three million?”
Anthony looked away.
“Sports books. Cards.”
Luca almost seemed disappointed rather than angry.
“You sold access to my house because you lost money gambling.”
“I was going to pay it back.”
“You gave Moretti Emily’s location.”
“I didn’t know he was going to send shooters.”
Luca took a step toward him.
“You knew enough.”
Anthony’s voice cracked.
“You’re not going to kill me.”
Nobody breathed.
Anthony seemed to remember who stood in front of him.
“We’re family.”
Luca stared at him for a long moment.
Then he said, “You’re right.”
Anthony exhaled.
Luca turned to Marco.
“Put him in the east apartment. No phone. Two guards.”
Anthony blinked.
“That’s it?”
Luca stopped at the door.
“No.”
He looked back.
“I’m giving you one night to tell me everything you know.”
“And if I don’t?”
Luca’s expression became unreadable.
“Tomorrow, you stop being family.”
Later that afternoon, Emily found Luca alone in his study.
He was pouring bourbon.
She stood at the doorway.
“You trusted him.”
Luca glanced at her.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
“He betrayed you because of us.”
“He betrayed me because of himself.”
Emily entered.
“Daniel said the same thing to me.”
“Your brother is smarter than Anthony.”
“That’s not a high bar today.”
Luca almost smiled.
Emily sat across from him.
“What did Moretti mean about something under the property?”
“I don’t know.”
“You think my father knew?”
“Maybe.”
“My father barely knew how to use email.”
“People can hide surprising things.”
Emily looked at Luca’s drink.
“Do you?”
“What?”
“Hide surprising things?”
He studied her.
“Many.”
“Were you always like this?”
“Like what?”
She gestured around the room.
“Powerful.”
“No.”
“What were you before?”
“Poor.”
Emily blinked.
Luca leaned back.
“My father owned a butcher shop in Brooklyn. We lived above it.”
“So how did you become…”
“A criminal?”
She winced.
“I was going to say this.”
He smiled slightly.
“Violence finds certain neighborhoods before opportunity does.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“No.”
“Are you ever going to give me one?”
“Maybe.”
Emily stood.
At the door, she turned.
“Thank you for not killing your cousin.”
Luca looked at her.
“You think I should spare him?”
“I think becoming the thing that hurt you doesn’t heal what happened.”
His face changed.
“How do you know something hurt me?”
Emily glanced at the old scar disappearing beneath his shirt collar.
“Because nobody collects that many scars by accident.”
Then she left.
Luca remained alone.
He stared at the closed door longer than he should have.
His phone rang.
Marco.
“What did you find?”
“Something under Carter Auto.”
Luca straightened.
“What?”
“An old Prohibition-era tunnel.”
“Leading where?”
Marco paused.
“To a warehouse on the river.”
“Who owns the warehouse?”
“That’s where it gets interesting.”
Luca waited.
Marco said, “On paper? Nobody.”
May you like
“And off paper?”
“It belonged to your father.”
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