CHAPTER 4 THE PHOTOGRAPH IN THE LOCKED DRAWER
The gunshot echoed through the hospital.
Once.
Then silence.
For one terrible second, nobody moved.
Julian stood in the dark corridor with his mother's warning still ringing inside his head.
Your brother didn't die twelve years ago.
Alive.
Daniel was alive.
The brother Julian had buried in his mind every morning for twelve years.
The brother whose photograph still sat in a locked drawer in his study.
The brother whose name Julian had stopped saying because saying it made the grief feel fresh again.
Alive.
It was impossible.
It had to be.
Julian's hand closed around the old photograph.
"Maya."
She turned toward him.
"Yes?"
"Stay with your mother."
"What are you going to do?"
"Find out who fired that shot."
He started down the corridor.
Maya grabbed his sleeve.
"Julian."
He stopped.
She looked into his eyes.
"You believe her."
It wasn't a question.
Julian stared at the darkness ahead.
"I don't know what I believe."
His voice was low.
"But I know my father lied about something."
Maya released his sleeve.
"Be careful."
Julian looked back at her.
The concern in her eyes affected him more than it should have.
"I will."
He disappeared into the darkness.
Derek found the shooter before Julian did.
Not the shooter himself.
The shell.
A single brass casing lay near the emergency stairwell.
Derek crouched and examined it.
"Nine millimeter."
One of the security men approached.
"Blood trail."
Derek looked up.
"Where?"
"North corridor."
They followed it.
The blood led toward an exit door.
It was only a few drops.
Whoever had been hit hadn't stayed.
Derek reached the door.
Locked.
He opened it.
Cold night air rushed inside.
Below, an alley disappeared into darkness.
A black SUV was already turning the corner.
Derek pulled out his phone.
"Julian."
The call connected immediately.
"Report."
"The shooter escaped."
"Any injuries?"
"One of his men may have been hit."
"May?"
"We found blood."
Julian's voice hardened.
"Where?"
"North exit."
Julian looked toward the hospital elevator.
"I'm coming."
Derek paused.
"There is something else."
"What?"
"The shell casing."
"And?"
"It's not a random weapon."
Julian waited.
"Custom ammunition."
A long silence.
"Whose?"
Derek lowered his voice.
"Your father's old security detail used the same manufacturer."
Julian's expression became unreadable.
"You're sure?"
"Almost."
"Almost isn't good enough."
"I know."
Julian looked down the corridor.
"Get me everything you can."
"I already started."
Julian ended the call.
Then he heard footsteps.
Maya.
She came toward him.
Her face was pale.
"Your mother?"
"She's asking for you."
Julian's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
They returned to room 614.
Maya's mother was sitting upright.
Her breathing was shallow.
She looked at Julian.
"Close the door."
He did.
"Lock it."
He locked it.
Her eyes moved toward the window.
"Are the curtains closed?"
Maya closed them.
Only then did her mother relax.
Julian stood at the foot of the bed.
"Tell me everything."
She shook her head.
"You won't like what I tell you."
"I stopped caring about that."
"You should."
"Daniel."
Her eyes closed.
"Yes."
"He's alive?"
She nodded.
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"How long?"
"Twelve years."
Julian's breathing became heavier.
"How do you know?"
"Because I helped him disappear."
Maya looked at her mother.
"You did what?"
Her mother reached beneath the pillow.
Her fingers trembled as she pulled out a small brass key.
She handed it to Julian.
He stared at it.
"What is this?"
"A drawer."
"Where?"
"Your father's house."
Julian frowned.
"My father hasn't lived there in eight years."
"I know."
"Then why would there be a drawer?"
"Because Victor never trusted banks."
Julian stared at the key.
"What's inside?"
"Proof."
"What kind?"
"Everything."
His eyes hardened.
"Everything about what?"
"Daniel."
A pause.
"Your father."
Another pause.
"And the night Daniel disappeared."
Julian looked at Maya.
She was watching him.
"Where is this house?"
"My father owns several properties."
Her mother shook her head.
"Not the ones you know."
Julian's expression changed.
"Where?"
"Lake Geneva."
Julian went still.
Lake Geneva.
He knew the place.
His father had owned a secluded estate there.
Julian hadn't visited it since he was seventeen.
Victor had forbidden him from going there after Daniel disappeared.
At the time, Julian had assumed the place contained memories his father didn't want him to see.
Now he wondered what else had been hidden there.
"What's the drawer?"
"Library."
"Which wall?"
Her mother hesitated.
"Behind the fireplace."
Julian looked at the key.
"How do I open it?"
"You don't."
He frowned.
"What?"
"Daniel does."
Julian's eyes narrowed.
"He's alive."
"Yes."
"Then where is he?"
"I told you."
"You don't know."
She shook her head.
"He told me never to ask."
"Why?"
"Because if I knew, they could force me to tell them."
"Who?"
She looked at him.
"The people who killed your father."
Julian froze.
"My father is dead."
"Yes."
"From a heart attack."
She said nothing.
Julian's eyes hardened.
"Wasn't he?"
His mother lowered her gaze.
"No."
Maya whispered:
"Mom..."
Her mother began to cry.
"Victor Croft didn't die naturally."
Julian took one step backward.
"Who killed him?"
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
"You know everything else."
"I know enough to be afraid."
Julian stared at her.
Then he noticed something.
A small scar along her wrist.
Old.
Circular.
Like a burn.
"What's that?"
She pulled her sleeve down.
"Nothing."
Julian's eyes narrowed.
"Maya."
She looked at him.
He nodded toward her mother's wrist.
"What's that?"
Her mother became silent.
Then she whispered:
"The same mark Daniel had."
Two hours later, Julian stood outside the Croft Lake Geneva estate.
Snow covered the driveway.
The mansion was dark.
Abandoned.
At least, that was what it appeared to be.
Derek stood beside him.
"You sure this place hasn't been used?"
Julian looked at the house.
"No."
Derek frowned.
"You said your father stopped coming here years ago."
"He told me he did."
"That's different."
Julian glanced at him.
"Exactly."
They approached the front door.
The lock was old.
Julian inserted a key.
The door opened.
Dust filled the air.
The house smelled of wood, cold stone, and something faintly metallic.
Derek entered first.
"Clear."
Julian followed.
His footsteps echoed through the foyer.
Memories returned.
Daniel laughing on the staircase.
His father shouting.
His mother crying.
Christmas dinners.
Arguments.
Secrets.
Julian stopped.
Derek looked back.
"What?"
Julian stared at the staircase.
"I remember him here."
"Daniel?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Three days before he died."
Derek waited.
Julian continued.
"He told me not to trust our father."
Derek's expression changed.
"What did you say?"
"I laughed."
Julian looked down.
"I was seventeen. I thought Daniel was angry because Father had punished him."
"What happened?"
"He grabbed my shoulders."
Julian swallowed.
"He said, 'If something happens to me, don't believe what they tell you.'"
Derek stared at him.
"Did you remember that before tonight?"
Julian shook his head.
"I buried it."
They continued toward the library.
The room was enormous.
Bookshelves covered every wall.
A fireplace dominated the far side.
Julian walked toward it.
Behind the stone mantle was a narrow panel.
He touched it.
Nothing happened.
Derek searched the edges.
"There's a mechanism."
Julian pulled out the brass key.
He inserted it into a small hidden slot.
The wall clicked.
A section of panel moved inward.
Behind it was a narrow wooden drawer.
Julian pulled it open.
Inside was a single photograph.
And a folder.
He picked up the photograph first.
His hands stopped.
It showed Daniel.
Alive.
Older.
Standing outside a hospital.
Beside him was Maya's mother.
And beside them—
Maya.
A child.
Julian stared.
"No."
Derek stepped closer.
"What?"
Julian couldn't speak.
Maya was perhaps seven years old in the photograph.
Daniel had his hand resting gently on her shoulder.
On the back of the photograph was a date.
October 17.
Twelve years ago.
Julian looked at the folder.
His hands were shaking.
He opened it.
The first page was a medical report.
The name at the top made his heart stop.
DANIEL CROFT
Status:
Alive.
Julian stared at the word.
Derek whispered:
"Boss."
Julian turned the page.
Another document.
A birth certificate.
He read it.
Then read it again.
His face changed.
Derek noticed.
"What?"
Julian handed him the paper.
Derek's eyes moved across the page.
Then widened.
The document listed Maya Torres as the child.
But the father's name had been blacked out.
Not crossed out.
Blacked out deliberately.
Below it was a handwritten note.
Julian recognized the handwriting.
His father's.
She is not Daniel's daughter.
Julian's heart pounded.
Another line followed.
She is mine.
Derek stared at him.
"Julian..."
He couldn't breathe.
The room seemed to spin.
Maya.
The maid.
The woman he had spent months watching from a distance.
The woman whose smile had become the best part of his mornings.
The woman he had almost admitted he cared about.
His father's daughter.
His half-sister.
No.
Julian violently rejected the thought.
It couldn't be true.
There had to be another explanation.
He turned the page.
A second handwritten note appeared.
Do not tell Julian.
His hands went cold.
Derek looked at him.
"That doesn't make sense."
"No."
"Maybe the document is fake."
Julian nodded.
"Maybe."
But he didn't believe it.
Because he knew his father's handwriting.
He knew the signature.
And he knew the date.
The document had been created twelve years ago.
The same year Daniel disappeared.
The same year Maya's mother vanished from Chicago.
The same year Julian's father told him his brother was dead.
Julian closed his eyes.
Everything was connected.
But he still couldn't understand how.
Then something slipped from the folder.
A small envelope.
Julian picked it up.
His name was written across the front.
JULIAN.
He opened it.
Inside was a single page.
His father's final letter.
Julian read the first sentence.
Then stopped.
His face drained of color.
Derek waited.
"What does it say?"
Julian couldn't answer.
"Julian."
He handed him the letter.
Derek read:
If you are reading this, Daniel failed to protect you.
Derek's eyes moved down.
The woman named Maya Torres is not your sister.
He stopped.
Julian looked at him.
"What?"
Derek continued reading.
Victor Croft was not Maya's father.
Julian grabbed the letter.
His eyes raced across the page.
The birth certificate was created to make you believe she was connected to this family. It was the only way I could hide her from the people hunting Daniel.
Julian's breathing became uneven.
He kept reading.
Maya is the daughter of the one person they will never stop searching for.
Below that was another sentence.
And Daniel is the only person who knows where she truly came from.
Julian lowered the letter.
Derek looked at him.
"Who is her father?"
Julian shook his head.
"I don't know."
Then a sound came from upstairs.
A floorboard creaked.
Both men turned.
Derek drew his weapon.
Julian reached for his own.
"Someone's here."
They moved silently through the library.
Another sound.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Coming from the second floor.
Derek whispered:
"Stay behind me."
Julian ignored him.
They climbed the stairs.
At the top was a long hallway.
A door stood open.
Julian recognized the room.
Daniel's bedroom.
He pushed the door.
Empty.
Except for a man standing by the window.
Older.
Thin.
His hair streaked with gray.
He turned.
Julian's weapon dropped slightly.
His breath stopped.
The man's eyes filled with tears.
"Hello, little brother."
Julian couldn't move.
Derek stared.
"Jesus Christ."
Daniel Croft smiled sadly.
"You got tall."
Julian's lips trembled.
"You're alive."
Daniel nodded.
"I've been alive every day."
"Why?"
Daniel looked toward the letter in Julian's hand.
"Because Father made me disappear."
"Why?"
"To protect you."
"From what?"
Daniel's expression darkened.
"From the truth."
Julian stepped closer.
"What truth?"
Daniel looked past him.
Toward the photograph.
Toward the name.
Toward the woman whose life had somehow become tangled with his.
Then he said:
"Maya isn't the secret."
Julian stared.
"Then what is?"
Daniel's voice dropped.
"Who her mother was before she became Elena Torres."
Julian's eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
Daniel hesitated.
Then spoke the name.
"Isabella Moretti."
Julian froze.
Derek's face changed.
The Morettis.
The family Julian's father had spent twenty years fighting.
The family Julian had always been told murdered Daniel.
The family whose last surviving heir had disappeared twelve years ago.
Julian whispered:
"That's impossible."
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
He looked toward the window.
"What's impossible is what happened next."
"What?"
Daniel turned back.
"Your father didn't kill my killer."
He looked directly at Julian.
"He hired him."
Julian's face went cold.
"Why?"
Daniel took a breath.
"Because twelve years ago, your father discovered that Isabella Moretti had a daughter."
A pause.
"And that daughter was Maya."
Julian stared at him.
"Why would Victor care about her?"
Daniel's eyes filled with sorrow.
"Because Maya wasn't just Isabella's daughter."
He stepped closer.
"She was Rafael Mendoza's granddaughter."
Julian's mind raced.
Maya.
Mendoza.
Moretti.
Croft.
Daniel.
All connected.
But one question remained.
"Where is Isabella?"
Daniel looked at him.
"Dead."
Julian's heart sank.
"When?"
"Twelve years ago."
"Who killed her?"
Daniel didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Julian already knew what the answer would be.
His father's name.
But before he could ask, Daniel suddenly looked toward the window.
His expression changed.
"They found us."
Derek turned.
"Who?"
Daniel's face became pale.
"The same people who have been looking for Maya."
Julian moved toward the window.
Across the snow-covered grounds, headlights appeared.
One vehicle.
Then another.
Then a third.
Derek counted.
"Three SUVs."
Daniel whispered:
"They know the drawer was opened."
Julian looked at him.
"How?"
Daniel's eyes moved to the photograph in Julian's hand.
"Because that drawer was never meant to be opened."
A gunshot shattered the window.
Glass exploded inward.
Julian tackled Daniel to the floor.
Derek returned fire.
Another bullet struck the wall.
Maya's photograph slipped from Julian's hand.
It landed face-up on the floor.
Daniel stared at the little girl in the photograph.
Then at Julian.
His voice was barely audible.
"Whatever you do..."
Julian looked at him.
"Don't let them take Maya."
Outside, more headlights appeared.
Not three vehicles now.
Six.
Julian's eyes hardened.
"Who are they?"
Daniel looked toward the driveway.
"The people who killed our family."
Julian raised his weapon.
"And tonight?"
Daniel nodded.
"They came for hers."
Julian picked up Maya's photograph.
He looked at her young face.
Then at the darkness outside.
For the first time, his fear wasn't for himself.
It wasn't for his empire.
It wasn't even for Daniel.
It was for Maya.
The woman who was still somewhere across Chicago, unaware that men were coming for her.
Julian's voice became cold.
"Call Derek's team."
"They're already on the way."
"Call everyone."
Daniel looked at him.
"Everyone?"
Julian nodded.
"Everyone."
He chambered a round.
"No one touches her."
May you like
Then the mansion doors exploded inward.
And the war that had started twelve years ago finally came looking for its missing daughter.
