Chapter 10 - Norah Found Her Mother Alive at the Lighthouse—and Learned Why Her Family Had Been HuntedThe lighthouse stood on a cliff above the Atlantic.
Waves crashed beneath it.
Wind tore through the broken windows.
We entered carefully.
Then I heard a woman's voice.
“Norah.”
I stopped breathing.
My mother stepped from the shadows.
Older.
Thinner.
But unmistakable.
“Mom?”
She cried.
So did I.
I ran into her arms.
For several minutes, neither of us could speak.
Then she pulled away.
“I wanted to find you.”
“Why didn't you?”
“Because they were watching.”
“Who?”
“Everyone.”
Lorenzo stepped forward.
“Tell us everything.”
My mother looked at him.
“You're Matteo's son.”
“Yes.”
“He was a good man once.”
“What changed?”
“Power.”
She sat.
We listened.
“Project Rosa was created to expose corruption inside the criminal network controlling the city.”
“By whom?”
“Your father. My husband. Matteo Rossi.”
Lorenzo stared.
“Then what happened?”
“Massimo discovered the project.”
She swallowed.
“He wanted control.”
“And Daniel Reed?”
“Reed joined him.”
My mother looked at me.
“Your father tried to hide the archive.”
“Where?”
“Inside this.”
She reached beneath her coat and pulled out an old metal case.
The Sullivan Archive.
Inside were documents proving corruption involving politicians, police commanders, judges, and businessmen.
But there was one file labeled:
ROSSI SUCCESSION
Lorenzo opened it.
His face changed.
The document named Matteo's intended successor.
Not Massimo.
Not Lorenzo.
Lorenzo looked at me.
“You.”
I shook my head.
“That's impossible.”
My mother nodded.
“Matteo wanted your father to control the organization until Lorenzo was old enough.”
“Why me?”
“Because your father discovered something.”
“What?”
“Lorenzo's bloodline wasn't the danger.”
She looked at Lorenzo.
“His loyalty was.”
Lorenzo stared.
“My father trusted me?”
“With his life.”
My mother continued.
“That's why they tried to destroy both families.”
A noise came from outside.
Lorenzo stood.
“Someone followed us.”
Gunfire struck the lighthouse window.
My mother dropped to the floor.
“Back room!”
We moved.
Lorenzo fired through the doorway.
Marcus returned fire.
Then footsteps.
More than ten.
We were surrounded.
Reed's voice echoed outside.
“Give me the archive!”
Lorenzo looked at me.
“Take your mother and go.”
“No.”
“Norah.”
“No.”
I opened the metal case.
Inside was a second document.
I smiled.
“I think I know why Reed wants this.”
Lorenzo frowned.
“What?”
“Because this isn't the archive.”
I held up the flash drive.
“The real archive is digital.”
His eyes widened.
My mother whispered:
“Exactly.”
I looked toward the doorway.
Then smiled.
“We don't have to run.”
May you like
Lorenzo understood.
“We can expose him.”
Related Stories
