Chapter 13 - The Sister in the Rain|
The meeting place was a twenty-four-hour diner beside a highway outside Milwaukee.
Rain streaked the windows. Truck drivers sat at the counter, and a waitress refilled coffee cups without looking up at the television mounted above the kitchen.
Sophie arrived twenty minutes early.
At precisely ten, a woman entered wearing a gray hooded coat. She was thinner than Sophie, with the same dark eyes and a small scar near her chin.
For several seconds, they simply stared at each other.
Then the woman approached.
“Are you Sophie?”
“Yes.”
“I'm Clara.”
Sophie stood, unsure whether to hug her.
Clara solved the problem by remaining on the opposite side of the table.
“Don't.”
Sophie sat again.
“Okay.”
They ordered coffee neither of them drank.
Clara studied Sophie's face.
“You look like Mom.”
“So do you.”
“I don't remember her voice.”
Sophie felt tears gather.
“I have recordings. Letters. Photographs.”
“Do you have proof that she loved me?”
The question broke something inside Sophie.
“Yes,” she whispered. “More than you can imagine.”
Clara looked away.
She explained that her adoptive parents had known the truth about her birth. They had raised her lovingly but warned her never to contact the Romanos. After their deaths, she discovered a hidden compartment containing the original ledger and several letters.
She had spent years changing names, moving apartments, and watching for strangers.
“Vittorio found me six months ago,” Clara said. “He offered money in exchange for the ledger.”
“Did you refuse?”
“I gave him a copy.”
Sophie stared at her.
“Why?”
“Because I wanted him to believe he had won.”
Clara reached into her bag and produced a small flash drive.
“This contains the complete ledger, recordings, and copies of the foundation's contracts. The original is somewhere else.”
“Where?”
“Safe.”
Sophie accepted the drive.
“Why contact me now?”
“Because Vittorio threatened to kill you. I thought if I could get the evidence to you, you might have a chance.”
Sophie reached across the table, stopping before touching Clara's hand.
“You don't have to do this alone anymore.”
Clara's eyes filled, but she blinked the tears away.
“Don't promise things you can't guarantee.”
“I can't guarantee your safety. I can promise I won't stop looking for you.”
For the first time, Clara's expression softened.
Then the diner lights flickered.
A man near the entrance stood up.
Clara immediately went pale.
“That's one of Vittorio's men.”
Sophie turned.
The man reached inside his coat.
Clara grabbed Sophie's wrist.
“Back door. Now.”
They ran through the kitchen, knocking over a tray of plates. A second man appeared in the alley.
Clara pulled Sophie behind a dumpster and pressed a finger to her lips.
The emergency phone vibrated in Sophie's pocket.
She switched it on.
Massimo's voice came through.
“Where are you?”
“Milwaukee. We have the evidence.”
“Get away from the diner. Rafael is two minutes out.”
A gunshot cracked across the alley.
Clara flinched.
Sophie grabbed her hand.
“Run!”
They reached a side street just as Rafael's car screeched to a stop. He opened the back door, and they climbed inside.
As they drove away, Clara stared at Sophie.
“You brought him.”
“No,” Sophie said. “I brought someone who could get us out.”
Clara looked toward Rafael.
“Where's Massimo?”
“Waiting at the safe house.”
Clara's face hardened.
“I told you I didn't want him near me.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you break your promise?”
Sophie swallowed.
“Because I was afraid you'd die.”
Clara looked out the window.
For the rest of the drive, she said nothing.
At the safe house, Massimo stood outside in the rain. He did not approach Clara. He simply opened the door and stepped aside.
Clara studied him.
“You're the man whose family destroyed ours.”
Massimo met her gaze.
“Yes.”
“And you expect me to trust you?”
“No.”
May you like
He looked at Sophie.
“But I hope one day you can judge me by what I do next.”
