Chapter 2 - The Man Who Refused to Let Me Leave
Lena packed before midnight.
She put three chef jackets into a suitcase.
Two pairs of shoes.
Her knife roll.
Her mother's old recipe notebook.
Nothing else.
She left the expensive clothes the Moretti household had purchased for her.
She left the jewelry.
She left the gifts.
She left everything that might make her feel indebted.
When she reached the ground floor, Raphael was waiting.
“You're leaving.”
“Yes.”
He looked at the suitcase.
“Mr. Moretti knows?”
“He told me I could go.”
Raphael's expression remained unreadable.
“He did.”
“Yes.”
Raphael touched the earpiece near his collar.
“Open the gate.”
A guard moved immediately.
Lena stopped.
That was it?
No argument?
No threats?
No locked doors?
She stepped outside.
The night air hit her face.
For the first time in two weeks, there were no walls between her and the street.
She almost cried.
Then a black SUV accelerated around the corner.
Raphael grabbed her arm.
“Down.”
Lena dropped.
The SUV passed.
A gunshot cracked through the night.
Glass shattered behind them.
Raphael pushed Lena toward the house.
Security moved instantly.
Lena heard shouting.
More gunfire.
She crouched behind a stone pillar, heart hammering.
Dominic appeared at the entrance.
He wasn't wearing a coat.
He looked furious.
He crossed the courtyard as though bullets were irrelevant.
“Are you hurt?”
Lena shook her head.
“No.”
“Inside.”
“I thought you said I could leave.”
“You can.”
He looked toward the street.
“After we know who is waiting for you.”
She stared at him.
“You knew this might happen.”
“I suspected.”
“You let me walk outside.”
“I didn't expect them to move tonight.”
Lena's anger exploded.
“You don't get to make decisions for me!”
Dominic's expression hardened.
“You're right.”
He stepped closer.
“And that is why I'm going to ask instead.”
Lena blinked.
“Ask what?”
“Will you stay until morning?”
She looked toward the dark street.
Then at the shattered window.
She hated that the answer was obvious.
“Yes.”
Dominic nodded.
“Thank you.”
That night Lena didn't sleep.
At five in the morning, she found Dominic sitting alone in the study.
A cup of untouched coffee rested beside him.
“You don't sleep?”
“Sometimes.”
She stood in the doorway.
“I want answers.”
“You deserve them.”
“Who is after me?”
Dominic gestured toward a chair.
“Sit.”
She did.
“The men who attacked tonight are connected to Victor Salerno.”
“Who is he?”
“Someone who believes my family took something that belongs to him.”
“What?”
Dominic's expression darkened.
“A ledger.”
Lena frowned.
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Your father worked for Salerno three years ago.”
She went still.
“What?”
“Your father wasn't just running a small business.”
Dominic slid a photograph across the desk.
Lena picked it up.
Her father stood beside three men she didn't recognize.
Behind them was a warehouse.
She looked closer.
“That's my father.”
“Yes.”
“What was he doing?”
“Transporting money.”
Her stomach turned.
“My father isn't a criminal.”
Dominic didn't argue.
“He made choices you didn't know about.”
Lena put the photograph down.
“Why would Salerno care about me?”
“Because your mother kept records.”
Lena's heart stopped.
“My mother?”
“She died six years ago.”
“I know when my mother died.”
“Then you know she kept a handwritten recipe book.”
Lena's face went pale.
She thought of the worn notebook in her suitcase.
“Why?”
“Because your mother wasn't only a cook.”
Dominic's voice lowered.
“She was the person who discovered where Salerno's money was being moved.”
Lena stared at him.
“My mother knew?”
“Yes.”
“And my father?”
“Your father helped hide the evidence.”
“Where?”
Dominic looked directly at her.
“We don't know.”
Lena stood.
“You're saying my mother's recipe book contains something?”
“Possibly.”
She immediately thought of the notebook.
She had inherited it after her mother's funeral.
Hundreds of handwritten recipes.
Notes in the margins.
Measurements.
Corrections.
Tiny observations about ingredients.
She had never suspected anything else.
Dominic watched her.
“Where is it?”
“My room.”
“Don't touch it.”
She turned.
“Why?”
“Because if Salerno knows about it, someone may already be looking for it.”
Lena's eyes narrowed.
“How do you know?”
Dominic didn't answer.
She stepped closer.
“You already searched my room.”
“No.”
“Then how do you know?”
“I have people watching the house.”
She shook her head.
“This is insane.”
“Yes.”
He stood.
“Welcome to my world.”
She hated the way the words sounded almost like an apology.
Then Dominic said something she hadn't expected.
“If you want to leave after this is over, I will personally drive you wherever you want to go.”
Lena stared at him.
“Why?”
“Because I don't want you staying here out of fear.”
Something in his voice was different.
Not an order.
Not a threat.
A promise.
Lena looked away.
“I still don't trust you.”
“I know.”
“And I still don't forgive you for knowing.”
“I don't expect you to.”
She looked back at him.
“Good.”
May you like
For the first time, Dominic almost smiled.
“Good.”
