CHAPTER 7 THE WOMAN WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD
Adrian had spent seventeen years believing his mother was dead.
He had mourned her.
He had buried her.
He had carried the guilt of her death through every year that followed.
And now there was a photograph proving she was alive.
Not an old photograph.
Not a doctored image.
A photograph taken that night.
His mother was standing beside Lily.
Looking directly into the camera.
As though she wanted Adrian to know.
As though she had been waiting for him to discover the truth.
Adrian stared at the image until the screen blurred.
Vincent watched him carefully.
“Boss.”
Adrian didn't answer.
“Are you sure?”
Adrian finally looked up.
“I know my mother.”
“You haven't seen her in seventeen years.”
“I would know her face if I saw it tomorrow.”
Vincent nodded.
“Then we find her.”
Adrian's phone vibrated.
Another message.
COME TO THE OLD CHAPEL. ALONE.
Below it was an address.
Adrian recognized it immediately.
St. Michael's Chapel.
The small stone church where his mother had taken him every Sunday when he was a child.
The place where she had taught him to pray.
The place where, years later, Adrian had scattered what he believed were her ashes.
He stared at the address.
Vincent saw his expression.
“No.”
Adrian looked at him.
“You didn't even let me finish.”
“You don't have to.”
“She's my mother.”
“That's exactly why you can't go.”
Adrian's eyes hardened.
“Lily is there.”
“We don't know that.”
“She was in the photograph.”
“Which means they know you'll come.”
“Good.”
Vincent stepped closer.
“Boss, think.”
“I am thinking.”
“No. You're reacting.”
Adrian's jaw tightened.
Vincent lowered his voice.
“That is exactly what they want.”
Adrian said nothing.
“They took Lily because they knew you would chase her.”
“They took Sarah because they knew I'd protect her.”
“And now they're using your mother because they know you can't walk away.”
Adrian stared at him.
Vincent continued.
“It's a trap.”
“Of course it is.”
“Then why are you going?”
Adrian picked up his coat.
“Because traps work both ways.”
St. Michael's Chapel had been abandoned for almost a decade.
The stained-glass windows were cracked.
The wooden doors were warped.
Weeds had swallowed the steps.
Adrian stood across the street.
Rain fell lightly over Manhattan.
Vincent sat inside an SUV behind him.
Three more vehicles waited nearby.
Adrian had agreed to come alone.
He had not agreed to be stupid.
Every surrounding building had been secured.
Snipers watched the streets.
Traffic cameras had been hijacked.
Two escape routes had been prepared.
A medical team waited three blocks away.
His heart monitor was concealed beneath his shirt.
Adrian touched the device.
A small green light blinked.
Stable.
For now.
He looked at the chapel.
Then crossed the street.
The door opened before he touched it.
Adrian stopped.
“Come in.”
The voice was female.
Older.
Familiar.
His entire body went still.
He stepped inside.
The chapel smelled of dust and candle wax.
Rows of empty pews stretched toward the altar.
A woman stood near the front.
Gray hair.
Black coat.
One hand resting on a wooden cane.
Adrian couldn't breathe.
His mother's eyes met his.
“Hello, Adrian.”
He stared.
No words came.
The woman smiled faintly.
“You've grown.”
Adrian's face hardened.
“My mother is dead.”
“She was supposed to be.”
“Who are you?”
The woman stepped closer.
“I am Elena Moretti.”
Adrian's blood ran cold.
His mother's name.
His mother's voice.
Her face.
But his mind refused to accept it.
“You died seventeen years ago.”
“I know.”
“I buried you.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“You buried what they gave you.”
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?”
Elena looked toward the altar.
“Your father wanted you to believe I was dead.”
“Why?”
“Because he was trying to keep you alive.”
Adrian laughed bitterly.
“My father died nine years ago.”
“Yes.”
“And you disappeared seventeen years ago.”
“Yes.”
“You expect me to believe you were hiding for seventeen years?”
“I wasn't hiding.”
She looked directly at him.
“I was imprisoned.”
Adrian's expression changed.
“By whom?”
Elena didn't answer.
“Where is Lily?”
“She is alive.”
“Where?”
“She is safe.”
“Where?”
Elena's eyes softened.
“You sound like your father.”
“I don't care.”
Adrian stepped forward.
“Where is my daughter?”
“She isn't your only daughter.”
The words struck him like a physical blow.
“I know.”
Elena's face changed.
“You found the photograph.”
“Yes.”
“And the letter?”
“Yes.”
“Then you know more than I hoped.”
“Not enough.”
Adrian's voice became colder.
“I want the truth.”
Elena looked at him.
“You may not survive it.”
“I've been told that before.”
His hand moved unconsciously toward his chest.
Elena noticed.
“You're sick.”
Adrian froze.
“How do you know?”
“Because Marco told me.”
Adrian stared.
“My father knew?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Your family has carried the same disease for generations.”
Adrian's face tightened.
“Why didn't anyone tell me?”
“Because your father believed knowledge would weaken you.”
“My father lied to me.”
“He was trying to protect you.”
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
Adrian's voice rose.
“Protect me from what?”
Elena looked toward the dark windows.
“From the organization your grandfather built.”
Silence.
Adrian waited.
“What organization?”
“The Black Ledger.”
The name meant nothing.
Elena saw his confusion.
“Your grandfather wasn't a businessman.”
“I know what my family did.”
“No.”
Her voice was firm.
“You know what people were allowed to see.”
She stepped closer.
“Your grandfather built an underground network that controlled shipping, banking, weapons, politicians, judges, and men who could make people disappear.”
Adrian's expression hardened.
“That's impossible.”
“Is it?”
She looked at him.
“Look at the empire you inherited.”
Adrian said nothing.
“The Moretti name opened doors because your family didn't merely own businesses.”
Elena's voice dropped.
“They owned secrets.”
Adrian remembered his grandfather.
Barely.
A tall man with silver hair.
A cane.
A voice that could silence an entire room.
When Adrian was six, his grandfather had disappeared.
His father had told him he died of a heart attack.
Now Adrian wondered if that had been another lie.
“What happened in 1998?”
Elena closed her eyes.
“That year changed everything.”
“Tell me.”
“Your father discovered that the Black Ledger wasn't under his control.”
“Whose control?”
Elena looked at him.
“Daniel Cross.”
Adrian's expression changed.
“Cross.”
“Yes.”
“Who is he?”
“Not the man you think.”
“Then tell me.”
Elena walked toward the altar.
“Daniel Cross was your grandfather's most trusted lieutenant.”
Adrian followed.
“He wasn't a Moretti.”
“No.”
“But he became more powerful than my father.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“He controlled the Ledger.”
Adrian's mind raced.
“The financial network.”
“Among other things.”
“And my father tried to stop him?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Elena looked at him.
“Your father discovered Cross had been selling information.”
“To whom?”
“Everyone.”
Adrian's face hardened.
“Volkov?”
“Volkov was only one of them.”
“Then who?”
Elena hesitated.
“Foreign intelligence agencies. Criminal organizations. Corporate rivals. Politicians.”
She swallowed.
“Anyone willing to pay.”
Adrian stared.
“And the second child?”
Elena's eyes filled with something close to grief.
“That is where everything went wrong.”
A sound echoed from the back of the chapel.
Adrian immediately drew his weapon.
Elena didn't move.
“Put it away.”
“Someone's here.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Elena looked toward the shadows.
“The man you came to kill.”
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
Daniel Cross stepped into the light.
He wasn't armed.
His hands were raised.
Adrian aimed directly at his chest.
“You lied to me.”
Cross nodded.
“Yes.”
“You said you didn't know where my mother was.”
“I didn't.”
“You said you didn't know about the other girl.”
“I knew about her.”
Adrian's finger tightened against the trigger.
“You've been playing me.”
“No.”
Cross's expression was exhausted.
“I've been trying to keep you alive.”
Adrian almost laughed.
“Everyone says that.”
Cross stopped.
“Your father used to say it too.”
Adrian lowered the weapon slightly.
“Why did you help him?”
“Because I owed him my life.”
“And then betrayed him?”
Cross's face hardened.
“I didn't betray Marco.”
“You were the head of his father's network.”
“I was.”
“You sold secrets.”
“No.”
“Then who did?”
Cross looked at Elena.
She nodded.
Cross finally said:
“Your mother.”
Adrian turned toward Elena.
“No.”
Elena closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
Adrian's expression went blank.
“You sold the Ledger.”
“I destroyed it.”
“Why?”
“Because your grandfather wanted to sell you.”
Adrian froze.
“What?”
Elena's voice trembled.
“When you were six, your grandfather discovered you had the blood condition.”
Adrian stared.
“He wanted to use you.”
“For what?”
“To secure an alliance.”
“With whom?”
“The Volkov family.”
Adrian's blood turned cold.
“Dimitri?”
“No.”
Elena shook her head.
“His father.”
Adrian looked toward Cross.
Cross nodded.
“Your grandfather intended to marry you into their family when you were older.”
Adrian stared at them.
“I was six.”
“Yes.”
“He was going to trade me.”
“Yes.”
Elena's eyes filled with tears.
“I couldn't allow it.”
“So you destroyed the Ledger.”
“Yes.”
“And my father?”
“He helped me.”
Adrian's anger faltered.
“Then why did he tell me you died?”
“Because Cross found out.”
Cross stepped forward.
“I didn't betray your parents.”
Adrian looked at him.
“Then why did you disappear?”
“Because I was trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
Cross answered:
“From the people who believed the Black Ledger still existed.”
Adrian's mind raced.
“Does it?”
Cross didn't answer.
Adrian's eyes hardened.
“Does the Black Ledger still exist?”
Cross looked at Elena.
She whispered:
“Yes.”
Adrian's stomach dropped.
“Where?”
Elena stared at him.
“Inside your daughter's drawings.”
Adrian stopped breathing.
“What?”
“The faceless man.”
She walked toward him.
“Lily wasn't drawing a father.”
Adrian stared.
“She was drawing what she remembered.”
“Remembered what?”
Elena's voice became quiet.
“Someone showed her the Ledger.”
Adrian shook his head.
“She's six.”
“I know.”
“She can't remember something from before she was born.”
Elena looked at him.
“Exactly.”
Adrian's eyes widened.
“What are you saying?”
Elena whispered:
“Lily wasn't born six years ago.”
Silence.
Adrian couldn't move.
Cross looked away.
Elena continued.
“The records were changed.”
“Why?”
“To hide her identity.”
“From whom?”
“The Black Ledger.”
Adrian's breathing became shallow.
“What is Lily?”
Elena's eyes filled with tears.
“Your daughter.”
“I know that.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“She is the last living heir.”
Adrian stared.
“To what?”
“The Moretti bloodline.”
A gunshot shattered the stained-glass window.
Elena screamed.
Adrian grabbed her and pulled her behind a pew.
Cross dropped to the floor.
Another bullet tore through the wall.
Vincent's voice came through Adrian's earpiece.
“Sniper!”
Adrian ducked.
“How many?”
“Three positions.”
“Take them.”
Gunfire erupted outside.
Adrian looked at Elena.
“Who knew we were here?”
She shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Cross suddenly grabbed Adrian.
“Your daughter.”
Adrian looked at him.
“What?”
“This attack isn't for you.”
Cross's face was grim.
“They're moving Lily.”
Adrian froze.
“Where?”
“The old Moretti estate.”
The same location from the message.
The trap.
Adrian understood.
“They wanted me here.”
“Yes.”
“To keep me away from Lily.”
“Yes.”
Adrian stood.
“We're leaving.”
Elena grabbed his arm.
“No.”
He turned.
“Lily is there.”
“I know.”
“Then move.”
“You can't save her alone.”
“I won't be alone.”
He looked toward the chapel doors.
Vincent and his team were already entering.
Elena stared at Adrian.
“Take me with you.”
Adrian hesitated.
“You're a target.”
“I've been a target for seventeen years.”
She stepped closer.
“I'm not afraid anymore.”
Adrian looked into her eyes.
For seventeen years, he had believed those eyes were gone forever.
Now they were standing in front of him.
Alive.
Terrified.
But alive.
He finally nodded.
“Stay behind me.”
Elena smiled faintly.
“Your father used to say that.”
Adrian's face tightened.
“Where is my father buried?”
Elena looked away.
“He isn't.”
Adrian stopped.
“What?”
“He's alive.”
The world seemed to tilt.
“Marco Moretti is alive?”
Elena nodded.
“And he's been waiting for you.”
The old Moretti estate stood outside the city.
Abandoned for years.
Surrounded by trees.
Hidden from the public.
A perfect place to disappear.
A perfect place to die.
Adrian arrived with Vincent, Elena, and twelve armed men.
The estate looked empty.
Too empty.
No guards.
No cars.
No lights.
Adrian stepped out.
“Something's wrong.”
Vincent nodded.
“Definitely.”
They entered through the front door.
The house was silent.
Then Lily's voice echoed from upstairs.
“Daddy?”
Adrian froze.
“Lily!”
He ran.
Vincent followed.
The bedroom door was open.
Lily was standing inside.
Alone.
Adrian rushed toward her.
She threw herself into his arms.
“Daddy!”
He held her tightly.
For the first time since she had disappeared, he allowed himself to breathe.
“You're safe.”
Lily nodded.
“Mommy too.”
Adrian looked around.
“Where is she?”
Lily pointed toward the hallway.
“She's with the lady.”
Adrian's heart stopped.
“What lady?”
Lily looked up at him.
“The lady from my pictures.”
Adrian's blood turned cold.
“What lady?”
Lily pointed toward the mirror.
Adrian slowly turned.
In the reflection stood an older woman.
Gray hair.
Dark eyes.
A familiar face.
Elena.
But Elena was standing beside Adrian.
He turned.
His mother was still there.
Then who was the woman in the mirror?
Lily whispered:
“That's my other mommy.”
Adrian stared at the reflection.
The woman smiled.
Then the lights went out.
A voice whispered through the darkness.
“Hello, Adrian.”
Adrian tightened his grip around Lily.
The voice continued.
“You finally brought her home.”
A gunshot exploded somewhere downstairs.
Vincent shouted.
“CONTACT!”
Adrian pulled Lily behind him.
His heart began pounding violently.
May you like
And from the darkness came a final whisper:
“Now you will learn which daughter was meant to survive.”
