Chapter 6 - The Woman Who Had Been Secretly Watching Us
The next morning, Clara woke in a safe house.
Her mother slept in the next room.
Adriano sat near the window.
He had not slept.
Clara walked toward him.
"You should rest."
"So should you."
She smiled weakly.
"You're terrible at listening."
"So are you."
A quiet silence settled between them.
Then Clara asked,
"Who took the key?"
"Landon."
"How?"
"He had a second team."
"Who is he working for?"
"We don't know."
Her mother entered.
Her face looked older.
But calmer.
"There is something else."
Clara turned.
"What?"
"Your father had a partner."
"Jonathan Moretti."
"No."
Helen shook her head.
"Another man."
Adriano went still.
"Who?"
Helen looked at him.
"Your uncle."
Adriano's expression changed.
"My uncle died before I was born."
"That's what they told you."
Clara stared.
"Who is he?"
"Gabriel Moretti."
Adriano stepped back.
"Impossible."
"He survived."
"Where?"
"Europe."
"Why come back now?"
Helen shook her head.
"He didn't."
"What?"
"He has been here for years."
Clara felt a cold wave move through her.
Someone inside the family.
Someone connected to everything.
Someone who had access to the ledger.
Adriano's phone rang.
He answered.
His face went pale.
"Where?"
A pause.
"Send me the address."
He hung up.
"He found us."
"Who?"
"Gabriel."
They drove to an old church.
Inside was an elderly man.
White hair.
Dark eyes.
He looked at Adriano for a long time.
Then smiled.
"You grew into your father's face."
Adriano pointed a weapon.
"Don't."
Gabriel laughed.
"You always were your father's son."
"What do you want?"
"To finish what Jonathan started."
"By using Clara?"
"By protecting her."
Clara stepped forward.
"From whom?"
Gabriel looked at her.
"From the man you think is your friend."
She looked at Adriano.
"Who?"
"Your father."
Adriano's eyes hardened.
"My father is dead."
"Dead men leave living consequences."
Gabriel handed Clara a photograph.
Robert Bennett.
Jonathan Moretti.
Landon Price.
And one final man.
Clara recognized him.
Martin Hail's father.
The four men stood outside a warehouse.
A date was written on the back.
The year before Robert disappeared.
"What happened?"
Gabriel said,
"Your father discovered that the Bellflower network wasn't a criminal organization."
Clara frowned.
"Then what?"
"It was a protection network."
"Protection?"
"For witnesses."
She stared.
All the shell companies.
The accounts.
The shipping routes.
The hidden money.
They weren't all criminal.
Some were used to relocate people.
To protect people.
To buy time.
To disappear people the law couldn't protect.
Adriano looked at the photograph.
"My father built it."
Gabriel nodded.
"Yes."
"Then why did everything become violent?"
"Because someone took control."
"Landon?"
"No."
"Martin?"
"No."
Gabriel looked at Clara.
"Your father."
She froze.
"What?"
"Robert chose to stay inside after Jonathan wanted out."
"Why?"
"Because he believed the only way to protect people was to control the network."
Clara's stomach twisted.
Her father had not been an innocent witness.
He had been a strategist.
A man who had made difficult choices.
Then Gabriel said something else.
"Your father's final message was not for you."
Clara looked at him.
"It was for Adrian."
Adriano stepped forward.
"What did it say?"
"That if anything happened to Robert, you were to marry Clara."
Silence.
Clara stared.
The room seemed to stop.
"Why?"
Gabriel answered.
"Because Robert believed the only person who could survive the network long enough to protect his daughter was Jonathan's son."
Clara turned to Adrian.
"So this was planned."
"Partly."
"You knew?"
"I knew Robert wanted me to protect you."
"Did you know he wanted us together?"
"No."
She looked away.
The truth hurt.
But it also made everything clearer.
Adriano approached.
"I didn't choose you because your father asked."
Her eyes lifted.
"I chose you because when you pointed at me, you were brave enough to do something you were terrified to do."
She swallowed.
"And because you were kind to that waiter."
A tiny smile appeared.
"I was."
"You were."
Gabriel watched them.
"Then you need to hurry."
"Why?"
"Landon has the last key."
"What does it open?"
May you like
Gabriel looked at Clara.
"The place where Robert Bennett disappeared."
