Chapter 4 - THE TRAITOR AMONG US
For the next few days,
the atmosphere in the mansion was suffocating.
Matteo had doubled the guard,
and no one was allowed to leave their floor without an escort.
I spent my time with the children,
trying to keep their lives as normal as possible.
We played board games,
read books,
and I even taught the boys how to make grilled cheese sandwiches.
But I was watching everyone.
The security guards.
The kitchen staff.
Even Henry.
Something didn't sit right with me about the attack.
The intruders knew exactly where the security blind spots were.
They knew the codes to the outer perimeter gates.
I started paying attention to the small details.
I noticed that one of the guards,
a man named Marco,
always seemed to be on his phone when he was supposed to be watching the monitors.
I also noticed that Henry was spending a lot of time in the basement,
claiming to be checking the backup generators.
One afternoon,
while the kids were napping,
I slipped into the security room.
The guard on duty was distracted,
so I managed to access the logs for the night of the attack.
My heart stopped when I saw the entry.
The gates had been opened from an internal terminal.
Someone inside the house had let the killers in.
I printed the log and tucked it into my shirt,
praying I wouldn't get caught.
As I turned to leave,
I bumped into Henry.
He looked at me,
his eyes narrowing behind his glasses.
"What are you doing in here,
Clare?"
"Just looking for some extra batteries for the boys' toys,"
I lied,
my heart racing.
"The supply closet is down the hall,"
he said,
his voice cold.
"I suggest you stay where you belong."
I hurried away,
feeling his gaze burning into my back.
I didn't go to Matteo right away.
I needed to be sure.
That night,
I waited until the house was still.
I crept down to the basement,
following the sound of a low voice.
I found Henry in the server room,
speaking into a burner phone.
"She's getting suspicious,"
he said.
"The nanny."
"No,
she doesn't know anything for sure yet."
"But we need to move the timeline up."
"The boss won't expect it from me."
I gasped,
and the sound was enough to alert him.
Henry turned around,
his face twisting into a mask of pure malice.
"You just couldn't stay out of it,
could you?"
he sneered,
pulling a silenced pistol from his waistband.
"I've worked for this family for thirty years."
"I watched Matteo take everything while I did all the heavy lifting."
"I deserve more than just a salary."
I backed away,
tripping over a coil of cables.
"You're the one who took their mother,"
I whispered,
realization dawning on me.
"She found out I was skimming from the accounts,"
he admitted,
stepping closer.
"I had to get rid of her."
"And now,
I'll have to get rid of you."
Just as he raised the gun,
the door burst open.
Matteo was there,
his face a mask of absolute fury.
He didn't hesitate.
He fired once,
striking Henry in the shoulder,
sending the older man crashing into the server racks.
Matteo didn't stop.
He tackled Henry to the ground,
his fists flying with a rage that had been building for years.
"You!"
Matteo roared.
"You were the one I trusted!"
"You were the one who told me she ran away!"
I stood there,
shaking,
as the security team flooded into the room.
Matteo finally stood up,
his knuckles bloody,
and looked at me.
The betrayal in his eyes was heartbreaking.
Everything he had believed for the last eight years was a lie.
His best friend was his greatest enemy.
He walked over to me and pulled me into a hard,
unsteady embrace.
"You found him,"
May you like
he whispered into my hair.
"You saved us again."
