Chapter 6 - The Betrayal That Nearly Destroyed Us
My father survived.
Barely.
A bullet had entered his shoulder and missed his heart by less than an inch.
Matteo's private physician treated him in a hidden apartment in Boston.
But the bigger wound wasn't physical.
It was trust.
Leo disappeared before the farmhouse was secure.
No one knew where he went.
Or at least, that was what everyone claimed.
I didn't sleep.
I sat beside my father and watched his chest rise.
Matteo stood near the window.
For hours, neither of us spoke.
Finally I said,
“You believed him.”
“I trusted Leo.”
“That's the same thing.”
“No.”
I looked at him.
“There is a difference.”
“What?”
“Believing someone means you accept what they tell you.”
He looked at me.
“Trusting them means you let them stand beside you when they could hurt you.”
“And you did that.”
“Yes.”
My voice softened.
“You trusted the wrong man.”
“I did.”
He came closer.
“I won't make that mistake with you.”
“You don't know me.”
“I know more than you think.”
I stared.
“What does that mean?”
He hesitated.
Then handed me a folder.
Inside were photographs.
Me at seventeen.
Me working at a coffee shop.
Me leaving college.
My mother.
Our apartment.
I looked up in horror.
“You were watching me?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
“Your father.”
I flipped through the photographs.
A note was attached.
Keep her safe from a distance.
Do not approach unless the Voss network becomes active.
My heart pounded.
“How long have you known who I was?”
“Three years.”
“So when you met me at the Velvet Room…”
“I knew your name.”
“You knew me.”
“I knew your identity.”
“That's worse.”
He nodded.
“I understand.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because your mother begged me not to.”
“Everyone keeps deciding what's best for me.”
“I know.”
He didn't defend himself.
That somehow made me angrier.
Then the door opened.
My mother walked in.
I stood so quickly the chair fell backward.
“Mom?”
She burst into tears.
I ran to her.
We held each other for so long that the rest of the room disappeared.
“You're safe,” I whispered.
She touched my face.
“You're safe.”
Then she saw Matteo.
Her expression changed.
“You found her.”
“Yes.”
My mother looked relieved.
Then she whispered,
“It's time.”
She sat down.
I knelt beside her.
“Tell me everything.”
She looked at my father.
“He wanted to protect you.”
“You both lied.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because the truth would have gotten you killed.”
“You kidnapped yourself?”
She shook her head.
“No. I allowed myself to be taken.”
I stared.
“What?”
“I knew they would come for me.”
“Why?”
“Because I had the ledger.”
My heart raced.
“The black book?”
“Yes.”
“Where is it?”
She looked at the silver key around my neck.
“With that.”
I touched the key.
“The final account.”
She nodded.
“There is a bank box under an old trust.”
“Whose?”
“Yours.”
I stared.
“Mine?”
“You were six when your father created it.”
Matteo stepped closer.
“How much?”
My mother looked at him.
“Enough to finance his escape.”
My father opened his eyes.
“Enough to expose Voss.”
Everyone fell silent.
“Daniel Voss built a network inside banks, hospitals, construction firms, and city offices,” my father said weakly.
“He used shell companies to move money and blackmail to control people.”
My mother continued.
“And he has one secret weakness.”
“What?”
“His daughter.”
I frowned.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Matteo's phone rang.
He answered.
His face turned pale.
“What?”
He listened.
“Where?”
Then he looked at me.
“Your mother's file was accessed from the city courthouse.”
“Who accessed it?”
He ended the call.
“The mayor's chief of staff.”
My mother closed her eyes.
“He's compromised.”
I looked at Matteo.
“Then nobody is safe.”
He nodded.
“Not anymore.”
That night, Matteo and I were alone on the rooftop of the apartment building.
Boston glittered beneath us.
“I want out,” I said.
“You can't.”
“I can leave.”
“They'll follow.”
“What if I leave the city?”
“They'll follow.”
“What if I disappear?”
“They'll still look.”
I turned.
“Then what do you want me to do?”
“Stay with me.”
The words landed heavily.
I stared.
“As your prisoner?”
“No.”
“As your hostage?”
“No.”
“Then?”
He stepped closer.
“As the only person I know I can protect without lying to.”
I laughed softly.
“You're terrible at this.”
“At what?”
“Being romantic.”
“I wasn't trying to be romantic.”
“Good.”
He paused.
“Although I could try.”
I looked at him.
For one impossible second, the world felt normal.
Then a siren screamed below.
Leo appeared in the doorway.
Everyone reached for weapons.
He raised his hands.
“I came to help.”
Matteo's face hardened.
“You have thirty seconds.”
Leo dropped a file onto the floor.
“Voss has Emily's death certificate.”
I froze.
“What?”
“He plans to officially declare her dead tonight.”
“Why?”
“To erase the last living heir connected to the Carter trust.”
My blood ran cold.
“I'm not an heir.”
“You are.”
Leo looked at me.
“Your father left you everything.”
Matteo picked up the file.
“And tomorrow morning, Voss plans to transfer the money.”
“To whom?”
Leo swallowed.
“To himself.”
May you like
Matteo looked at me.
“We end this tomorrow.”
