Chapter 5 - The Father Who Vanished
I thought Matteo had misunderstood the call.
“You said your father was dead.”
“He was supposed to be.”
“Supposed to be?”
He nodded.
The voice on the other end had been from an old private investigator.
A man believed to be Matteo's father had been seen in Montreal.
Alive.
Living under another name.
And the same investigator had found a second person with him.
Thomas Bennett.
My father.
I couldn't breathe.
For ten years, I had believed my father had abandoned me.
Now there was a possibility he had been hiding.
Not dead.
Not gone.
Hiding.
“Where are they?”
“Montreal.”
“Then we go.”
Matteo looked at me.
“I'll take you.”
Two days later, we were on a private plane.
Rosie stayed with Eleanor.
I sat across from Matteo.
“I don't know what I'm going to say.”
“You don't have to know.”
“What if he doesn't want me?”
“He left to protect you.”
“You don't know that.”
“I know my father.”
I studied him.
“You really don't talk much about your family.”
“Because every story ends with someone dead.”
That silenced me.
When we arrived, we found an old bookstore.
A man stood behind the counter.
He was older.
Gray hair.
Same eyes.
My father.
I froze.
He looked at me.
“Mia.”
I couldn't move.
“You're alive.”
He nodded.
I hit his chest with both hands.
“You're alive!”
He closed his eyes.
“I know.”
“You left me.”
“I had no choice.”
“You always had a choice.”
Tears filled his eyes.
“I thought they would kill you.”
“Who?”
“Victor Hale.”
Matteo stepped forward.
My father looked at him.
“You're Matteo.”
“Yes.”
He sighed.
“Your father would hate me for bringing you here.”
“He isn't my enemy,” Matteo said.
My father smiled sadly.
“He was never your enemy.”
We spent hours talking.
My father had been an accountant for Matteo's father.
He discovered money laundering tied to human trafficking.
He tried to expose it.
Victor Hale threatened him.
Matteo's father secretly helped him disappear.
But before he could return, Victor discovered that Daniel Ruiz had started investigating.
Daniel was ordered to stop.
He refused.
That led to his death.
My father had remained hidden because he feared Victor still had power.
Now Victor was back.
Alive.
And coming for everyone who knew the truth.
“Why did Daniel marry Eleanor?”
My father answered.
“He loved her.”
“And Rosie?”
“She wasn't Daniel's biological daughter.”
I looked at him.
“What?”
My father lowered his voice.
“Daniel adopted her.”
“Why?”
“Because her mother died.”
I didn't understand.
Then Matteo looked at me.
“Who was Rosie's mother?”
My father hesitated.
“Victor's daughter.”
Silence.
Rosie was the child of the very family that had caused all this.
Victor had been searching for her.
Not because of the child herself.
Because Daniel had hidden a document in her name.
A trust.
Millions of dollars.
Money Victor wanted.
Suddenly, the entire story made sense.
The missing ledger.
The blue door.
Daniel's death.
Eleanor's fear.
Rosie's hunger.
Everything connected.
But one question remained.
“Why did they come to Laut?”
My father looked at me.
“Because Daniel trusted Mr. Ricca.”
“Why?”
“He thought Ricca had changed.”
“Did he?”
“No.”
My father's voice hardened.
“He betrayed him.”
When we returned to Providence, the city was in chaos.
Mr. Ricca was found dead.
His office had been destroyed.
And Eleanor and Rosie were missing.
Matteo nearly lost control.
“They took them.”
My father shook his head.
“Not yet.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Victor always leaves a message.”
We found it inside Laut.
Pinned beneath the brass reservation book.
A simple sentence.
“Bring the ledger to Pier Nine.”
Matteo stared.
“No.”
My father asked:
“What?”
“There will be a trap.”
“Yes.”
“Then I won't go.”
My father looked at him.
“You will.”
“Why?”
“Because Victor believes you love the woman he's holding.”
Matteo looked at me.
Victor knew.
He knew about me.
He knew about Rosie.
And now he knew what Matteo had begun to feel.
We went to Pier Nine.
The warehouse was empty.
Except for Eleanor and Rosie.
They were tied to chairs.
Victor stepped from the shadows.
He was older than I imagined.
Elegant.
Silver hair.
Cold smile.
“Mia Bennett.”
I stepped forward.
“You know me.”
“I've known about you since you were a child.”
Matteo raised his gun.
Victor laughed.
“Put it down.”
“No.”
Victor smiled.
“You still don't understand.”
He pointed toward the ceiling.
There were cameras.
Explosives.
Men everywhere.
Then he looked at me.
“Your father made the mistake of thinking truth mattered more than power.”
He glanced at Matteo.
“Your mistake was believing you could become different from your father.”
Matteo's jaw tightened.
“What do you want?”
“The ledger.”
“We'll give it to you.”
I looked at him.
He nodded subtly.
I understood.
The real ledger was not in his hands.
It was with my father.
Victor demanded the book.
I handed him a decoy.
He opened it.
His smile vanished.
“This is not the ledger.”
“No,” I said.
“It isn't.”
The warehouse doors slammed shut.
Victor's men raised their weapons.
Then every light went out.
Gunfire exploded through the darkness.
Matteo grabbed me.
We moved toward Eleanor and Rosie.
My father shouted from somewhere behind the crates.
“Run!”
We reached them.
Matteo cut their restraints.
Then an explosion shook the building.
The ceiling cracked.
May you like
Victor disappeared.
And the last thing I heard before the room went black was Matteo shouting my name.
