Chapter 4 - THE EMPTY BED
Dante discovered the empty bedroom at 4:36 a.m.
He entered expecting to find Emma asleep, perhaps willing to accept an apology after he had given her enough time to calm down. Instead, he found the wedding ring on the dresser and the nursery door standing open.
The crib was empty.
So was the wardrobe.
"Emma?"
His voice carried through the bedroom and into the hallway.
No answer.
He checked the bathroom, the sitting room, and the small balcony overlooking the estate gardens. Then he noticed the open servants' staircase.
His stomach tightened.
"Marco!"
His security chief appeared within seconds.
"Boss?"
"Lock down the estate. Nobody leaves without my authorization."
Marco looked toward the dresser.
"Is Mrs. Romano—"
"Find my wife."
Within fifteen minutes, the estate's cameras were being reviewed. A housekeeper admitted seeing Emma carrying a suitcase. A driver reported that the rear gate had opened shortly after two.
Dante struck his fist against the desk.
"How long has she been gone?"
"Approximately two hours."
"Two hours?" His voice dropped dangerously. "And nobody thought to tell me?"
Marco said nothing.
Dante called Emma's phone. It went straight to voicemail.
He called again.
Then again.
On the fourth attempt, a message appeared on the screen.
This number is no longer available.
Dante stared at it.
He had men who could locate a witness in another state before breakfast. He had bribed officials, dismantled rival organizations, and survived two assassination attempts.
Yet he could not find the woman who had slept beside him for four years.
"Check the hospitals," he ordered. "Train stations. Airports. Every apartment she ever mentioned."
Marco hesitated.
"Boss, she is seven months pregnant. If she has a medical emergency—"
"Then find her faster."
Across town, Emma sat in Rosa's parked car outside a modest brick building. She had barely slept. Every passing vehicle made her turn toward the window.
Rosa placed a warm cup of tea in her hands.
"You need a doctor to check the baby."
"I know."
"And you need to understand something. If Dante finds you, he may try to bring you home."
Emma looked at the ultrasound photograph in her lap.
"He can try."
Rosa studied her carefully.
"What's in that folder?"
Emma opened the envelope just enough to reveal a document bearing her father's signature.
"Proof that my father didn't die in an accident."
Rosa went pale.
"Emma, what have you found?"
May you like
Emma closed the envelope.
"Something my husband would kill to keep buried."
