What Sophie Heard

I slammed my hand down on the SUV’s horn, the blaring sound echoing off the concrete walls of the underground garage.

Luca spun around just as Dante’s men raised their weapons.

The two guards Luca had left by the car immediately drew their sidearms, but before they could fire, Dante’s men unleashed a hail of bullets. The guards went down in seconds.

"Get down!" I screamed, shoving Sophie to the floorboards of the backseat and covering her with my body.

Deafening gunfire shattered the garage. Bullets pinged against the bulletproof glass of the SUV, spider-webbing the windows.

Outside, Luca had dove behind a concrete pillar. He drew his own weapon, returning fire with lethal precision. One of Dante’s men dropped to the floor, clutching his chest.

"You can't hide, Luca!" Dante shouted, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. "Give me the ledger! You’re outgunned!"

"You burned my house!" Luca roared from behind the pillar. "You tried to kill my daughter!"

Dante laughed, a cold, empty sound. "It was never personal, brother! Elena just couldn't keep her nose out of the books. She found out I was siphoning money to build my own crew. I had to silence her."

"And Vanessa?" Luca yelled, firing another shot that forced Dante to duck.

"Vanessa is a pawn," Dante scoffed. "She wanted your money and your title. I let her think she was in charge. She was the perfect idiot to take the fall if Elena's evidence ever surfaced."

My mind was racing. Dante had orchestrated everything. He had paid for my brother’s college four years ago to keep us quiet, knowing that if I ever spoke about the locked door, the investigation would lead back to him.

He set up the offshore account in my brother’s name as the ultimate framing device. If the theft was ever discovered, he could blame it on the mysterious maid and her family.

"Emily," Sophie whimpered beneath me, trembling violently. "I'm scared."

"I've got you," I whispered, gripping her hand. "I won't let them hurt you."

I peered over the dashboard.

Luca was pinned down. Three men were slowly flanking his concrete pillar. He was running out of ammo.

I had to do something.

I looked at the driver’s seat. The engine was still running.

"Sophie, stay on the floor. Do not move," I ordered.

I scrambled over the center console and threw myself into the driver’s seat. I slammed the gearshift into reverse and floored the gas pedal.

The heavy armored SUV lurched backward, its massive tires screeching against the concrete.

I slammed directly into the black van Dante’s men had arrived in, crushing the front grille and pinning one of the gunmen between the bumpers. He screamed and dropped his rifle.

"Shoot the tires!" Dante yelled, pointing at the SUV.

Bullets rained down on the car, popping the back right tire. The vehicle swerved violently, but the distraction was exactly what Luca needed.

Luca stepped out from behind the pillar, his face a mask of absolute fury. He fired twice.

Two more of Dante's men hit the ground.

Dante panicked. He realized he was losing the advantage. He turned and sprinted toward the garage exit ramp, abandoning his remaining man.

Luca didn't chase him. He ran to the SUV, yanking the passenger door open.

"Drive!" he yelled, jumping inside with the ledger.

I shifted into drive and slammed the gas, the SUV limping forward on the blown tire. We tore up the exit ramp, bursting through the wooden security gate and out into the freezing Chicago night.

"Are you hit?" Luca asked, checking me over frantically.

"No, I'm okay! Sophie is okay!" I yelled over the sound of the flapping tire.

Luca turned to the backseat. Sophie was sitting up, pale but unhurt. He reached back and squeezed her hand.

"He got away," I said, my hands shaking on the wheel. "Dante got away."

"He won't get far," Luca said, opening the ledger in his lap. "This book has every account, every contact, every dirty politician he bought. Without this, he has no money and no power. He is a dead man walking."

Luca pulled out his phone, dialing a number.

"Bring every man we have to the warehouse district," Luca barked into the phone. "Shoot Dante Moretti on sight."

He hung up, staring out the cracked windshield.

"Where to?" I asked, struggling to keep the heavy vehicle straight.

"The safe house," Luca said. "We need to get off the streets and switch cars."

We drove in tense silence for ten minutes until we reached a non-descript brick building in an industrial park. Luca hit a garage door opener, and we pulled inside, shutting the heavy steel door behind us.

The garage was well-lit and held three pristine vehicles.

We climbed out of the battered SUV.

"We stay here tonight," Luca said, grabbing the ledger. "Tomorrow, I dismantle my brother's life."

But as we walked toward the heavy steel door leading to the upstairs apartment, I noticed something wrong.

The keypad on the wall had been smashed.

Luca stopped. He drew his gun, pushing me and Sophie behind him.

He slowly pushed the door open.

The safe house had been breached.

Furniture was overturned. Glass shattered across the floor.

And sitting in an armchair in the center of the room, holding a suppressed pistol, was Vanessa.

She looked terrifyingly calm.

"Hello, Luca," Vanessa smiled.