Chapter 4 - THE DEAD MAN'S NAME|
Dominic stared at the photograph until the letters blurred.
Anthony Vitale had been his father's younger brother.
He had died in a warehouse fire when Dominic was seventeen. The official report identified his remains through dental records, and the family held a closed-casket funeral three days later.
Dominic remembered the funeral vividly: his father standing beneath the church's stained-glass windows, his jaw clenched, his hands trembling despite his best efforts to hide it.
Afterward, his father had told him that the Vitale family had lost a brother and gained an obligation.
Never speak Anthony's name outside the family.
Never investigate the fire.
Never trust anyone who claimed to know what happened that night.
Dominic had obeyed.
Now a photograph suggested that Anthony had been alive years after his supposed death.
“Where did you get this?” he demanded.
Serena shook her head.
“It was delivered to my apartment last month. There was no return address.”
“Why didn't you show me?”
“Because I recognized the man, and I thought if I told you, you would have me killed.”
Dominic's eyes turned cold.
“You keep mistaking my restraint for weakness.”
He handed the photograph to Marcus, who had arrived with a security team.
“Lock down every road leading away from the estate. Review every camera within five miles. I want Rose found alive.”
Marcus nodded.
“And Serena?”
Dominic looked at the woman who had shared his bed and his secrets.
“She's staying where I can see her.”
Serena didn't protest.
They moved to the security room, where the surveillance monitors showed the mansion's grounds from dozens of angles. Most feeds were still functioning, but the cameras near Rose's bedroom had been disabled three minutes before the power failure.
Marcus examined the footage.
“Someone used an internal access code.”
“Whose?”
He brought up the access log.
The code belonged to Dominic.
He stared at the screen.
“That code was changed six months ago.”
“Who knew the new one?”
“Me. You. And one other person.”
Marcus's expression tightened.
“Who?”
Dominic answered slowly.
“My family attorney.”
Robert Hale had represented the Vitale family for more than thirty years. He had prepared Dominic's father's will, handled the estate after Anthony's death, and helped Dominic take control of the family businesses.
He had also been the person who confirmed the official identification of Anthony's remains.
Dominic reached for his phone.
Before he could call, the screen lit up with an incoming message from an unknown number.
A video began playing automatically.
Rose sat in a dimly lit room, her hands folded in her lap. She looked frightened but unharmed.
A man's voice came from off camera.
“Tell your uncle where the key is.”
Rose shook her head.
“I don't know.”
“Your mother told you.”
“No, she didn't.”
The man stepped into the light.
Dominic stopped breathing.
The face was older, scarred, and thinner than he remembered, but the eyes were unmistakable.
Anthony Vitale.
His uncle looked directly into the camera.
“Hello, nephew.”
Dominic's hand tightened around the phone.
“You should have stayed dead,” he whispered.
Anthony smiled.
“Your father used to say the same thing.”
“Where is Rose?”
“Somewhere safe. For now.”
“If you touch her—”
“You'll what? Kill me? You already believe you've done that once.”
Anthony leaned toward the camera.
“Your father built an empire on lies, Dominic. You inherited it without asking what it cost. Now the bill has arrived.”
“What do you want?”
“The blue key.”
“I don't have it.”
“Then find it.”
Anthony's smile disappeared.
“You have until tomorrow night. After that, the girl becomes a message your entire family will understand.”
The video ended.
Marcus was already moving.
“We'll find the source.”
Dominic shook his head.
“No. He wants us to chase the signal.”
“Then what do we do?”
Dominic looked again at Rose's frightened face frozen on the screen.
“We find out what my father was hiding.”
He turned toward Serena.
“You said Emily knew about the key. Did she ever mention my father?”
Serena hesitated.
“Once. She told me she had proof that your father helped Anthony fake his death.”
Dominic's stomach tightened.
“That makes no sense.”
“Emily said Anthony wasn't the only person who disappeared that night.”
“Who else?”
Serena opened her mouth.
A loud crash came from the hallway.
Marcus drew his weapon and moved to investigate. Dominic followed, leaving Serena under guard.
They found a security officer unconscious beside the stairwell.
On the floor lay a small velvet box.
Inside was a gold signet ring.
Dominic recognized it immediately.
It had belonged to his father.
But the ring should have been buried with him.
A folded note rested beneath it.
YOUR FATHER DIDN'T DIE OF A HEART ATTACK.
Dominic looked toward the dark corridor.
For the first time in fifteen years, he wondered whether the man who had raised him had ever told him a single complete truth.
And then his phone rang.
The caller ID displayed Robert Hale.
Dominic answered.
“Tell me you know where my daughter is,” he said.
Robert's voice was quiet.
“Dominic, before you do anything reckless, you need to hear me out.”
“Where is Rose?”
May you like
A long silence followed.
Then Robert whispered, “Anthony isn't the only person you should be afraid of.”
