Chapter 10 - The Night She Disappeared
Harper's plan depended on Anthony believing two things.
First, that she was frightened enough to obey him.
Second, that Luca was arrogant enough to ignore her wishes.
Neither was difficult to sell.
At 11:40 p.m., Harper left the Moretti residence alone.
At least, she appeared alone.
She drove her damaged Honda.
The same Honda someone had tracked.
Inside her coat was a copy of several ledger pages.
The real ledger remained elsewhere.
Harper wore a small audio transmitter beneath her sweater.
No tracking device.
Anthony's people would check.
Instead, Luca's team followed through traffic cameras and predetermined observation points.
Harper hated the plan more with every mile.
So did Luca.
He had argued until 11:32.
Then Harper reminded him of his promise.
He finally stepped close to her.
“If anything feels wrong, leave.”
“Everything feels wrong.”
“You know what I mean.”
She nodded.
“Harper.”
Something in his voice made her look up.
For a moment, Luca seemed ready to say something.
Instead he touched her cheek.
Briefly.
“Come back.”
Harper swallowed.
“I will.”
Now, driving through empty industrial streets, she replayed those two words.
Come back.
Nobody had said them like that since her mother died.
Midnight approached.
The exchange point was an abandoned cold-storage facility near the harbor.
Harper parked outside.
One light glowed above a metal door.
She entered.
“Mrs. Donnelly?”
Her voice echoed.
Nothing.
Then lights came on.
Anthony stood on an elevated walkway.
Marcus stood beside him.
The traitorous guard.
Harper felt anger replace fear.
“Where is she?”
Anthony smiled.
“Harper.”
“Where is Mrs. Donnelly?”
“Safe.”
“I want to see her.”
“You brought the ledger?”
“Yes.”
“Show me.”
Harper removed the copied pages.
Anthony's smile disappeared.
“The whole ledger.”
“You show me Mrs. Donnelly first.”
Anthony sighed.
“You really are Katherine's daughter.”
Harper's heart raced.
“You knew my mother.”
“Better than you think.”
“Then you know she hated you.”
His expression changed.
There.
A nerve.
“Your mother was confused.”
“She recorded everything.”
Anthony went still.
Harper knew she'd made a mistake.
Too much information.
“Recorded?”
She recovered.
“You knew there was evidence.”
“That isn't what you said.”
Footsteps sounded behind her.
Marcus searched Harper.
He found the audio transmitter.
Harper's stomach dropped.
Marcus held it up.
Anthony laughed.
“Oh, Luca.”
He crushed the device beneath his shoe.
Somewhere miles away, Luca would have heard the signal die.
Anthony descended the stairs.
“You thought I'd believe Moretti let you come alone?”
“He didn't know.”
“Please.”
Anthony stood before her.
“Luca Moretti doesn't allow anything he values to move without surveillance.”
Something about the word values unsettled Harper.
“Where is Mrs. Donnelly?”
Anthony gestured.
A door opened.
Mrs. Donnelly was brought out.
Her hands were tied, but she appeared unharmed.
“Harper?”
“I'm here.”
“You foolish girl.”
Harper almost cried.
Even kidnapped, Mrs. Donnelly sounded annoyed.
“I told you not to open the door for strangers.”
“They said they were from the gas company.”
“Your building doesn't have gas.”
“I realize that now.”
Anthony looked irritated.
Harper almost smiled.
“Release her.”
“The ledger.”
“I didn't bring it.”
Anthony's friendliness vanished.
Harper continued.
“But I know where it is.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere you'll never find without me.”
Anthony stepped closer.
“You have an inflated sense of your leverage.”
Harper looked toward Mrs. Donnelly.
“I have enough.”
Anthony stared.
Then smiled.
“You know, your mother did this too.”
“Did what?”
“Believed she was smarter than dangerous men.”
“She survived you.”
“For a while.”
Harper's face hardened.
“Did you kill her?”
The question escaped before she could stop it.
Anthony looked almost surprised.
“No.”
“She died from cancer.”
“I know.”
Harper hated that he knew.
Anthony continued.
“I had nothing to do with Katherine's death.”
“Then what do you want?”
“The evidence.”
“Why now?”
“Because Luca is weak.”
“He doesn't seem weak.”
“He is.”
Anthony walked around her.
“He inherited an organization that should never have belonged to him.”
“You wanted it.”
“I built half of it.”
“And now you're willing to kill him for it.”
Anthony smiled.
“I gave him every opportunity to step aside.”
“By shooting him?”
“I wasn't responsible for the bullet.”
Harper froze.
“What?”
“Luca's ambush was meant to scare him, isolate him, make his captains question his judgment.”
“He was nearly killed.”
“That was Thomas.”
Harper stared.
“You're lying.”
“Am I?”
Anthony moved closer.
“Your father discovered the ambush and interfered. One of his men fired. Chaos followed.”
Harper's mind raced.
Daniel had said Thomas refused Anthony.
Could both accounts contain pieces of truth?
“Where is Thomas?”
Anthony's smile faded.
“I wish I knew.”
“You held him at the warehouse.”
“For six hours.”
“Then?”
“He escaped.”
Harper felt a flicker of hope.
Anthony leaned closer.
“If he's alive, he'll come for you eventually.”
“Good.”
“Don't romanticize him.”
“I don't.”
“He abandoned you.”
“My mother told him to.”
“And he obeyed because distance was convenient.”
Harper flinched.
Anthony saw it.
“That hurts, doesn't it?”
“Not as much as being betrayed by someone who called himself family.”
Anthony's expression tightened.
Harper knew the words were really meant for Luca.
Then the lights went out.
Darkness swallowed the warehouse.
Someone shouted.
Harper dropped.
Exactly as Luca had instructed.
A door slammed.
Footsteps.
A struggle.
Then emergency lights flickered red.
Marcus was gone.
Anthony had disappeared.
Mrs. Donnelly remained near the chair.
Harper ran toward her.
“Are you hurt?”
“Only offended.”
Harper untied her.
Then heard a voice.
“Harper!”
Luca.
He emerged through the side entrance with Vincent and two security men.
Harper stood.
Relief crashed through her.
Luca crossed the floor so quickly she barely had time to react before his hands were on her shoulders.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
He checked her anyway.
“Luca.”
“I lost the transmitter.”
“I know.”
His hands moved to her face.
“I'm okay.”
For a second, neither moved.
Then Harper hugged him.
She hadn't planned to.
Luca froze.
Then his arms closed around her.
Tightly.
Mrs. Donnelly watched.
“So this is the fellow.”
Harper stepped back.
“What?”
“The one who bled on your rug.”
Luca looked at Harper.
“You told her?”
“No.”
Mrs. Donnelly sniffed.
“The walls are thin.”
Even Vincent laughed.
The moment of relief lasted ten seconds.
Then a security guard shouted from the loading area.
“Mr. Moretti!”
Luca turned.
A black SUV accelerated through the far gate.
Anthony.
Luca's people moved.
Harper caught his arm.
“No.”
He looked at her.
“He wants you angry,” she said. “He wants you chasing him.”
Luca's jaw tightened.
“He took you.”
“And we learned something.”
“What?”
“He says Thomas caused the shooting during your ambush.”
Luca stared.
“That contradicts Daniel.”
“I know.”
Vincent approached.
“There's more.”
He held a phone found near the office.
Marcus's phone.
Unlocked.
Messages showed communication with Anthony.
But one conversation was with an unknown number.
Luca read it.
His expression changed.
Harper looked.
The final message had arrived thirty minutes earlier.
SHE DOES NOT LEAVE THAT BUILDING ALIVE. NO MORE MISTAKES.
Harper felt cold.
Anthony's previous behavior suddenly made less sense.
He had negotiated.
Talked.
Delayed.
If Anthony wanted her dead, why had he not done it himself?
Vincent reached the same conclusion.
“This isn't Anthony.”
Luca looked toward the vanished SUV.
“Someone else was giving the order.”
Harper stared at the unknown number.
The conspiracy had another layer.
Someone above Marcus.
Maybe beside Anthony.
Maybe controlling him.
Then the phone received another message.
A photograph.
Everyone froze.
Thomas Rourke sat in a dark room.
Alive.
A newspaper from that morning rested in his hands.
Below the image was one sentence.
BRING HARPER TO ME, OR HER FATHER DIES AT DAWN.
Luca looked at Harper.
Harper looked at the photograph.
For twenty-seven years, her father had been a ghost.
May you like
Now she had less than six hours to decide whether she was willing to risk everything to meet him.
---
