Chapter 8 - THE WOMAN IN THE RAIN
Emma was returning from a prenatal appointment when she noticed the black sedan.
It had followed Rosa's car through three intersections and stopped across the street from the bakery apartment. The windows were tinted. The engine remained running.
Rosa saw it too.
"Go upstairs," she whispered.
Emma's pulse quickened.
"Do you think it's Dante?"
"I don't know. That's why you need to move."
They entered the building through the rear entrance. Rosa helped Emma pack her medical records, the folder, and a few changes of clothes.
Before they could leave, someone knocked on the apartment door.
Three slow knocks.
Then a woman's voice.
"Emma? My name is Sofia Romano. I'm Dante's mother."
Emma froze.
Sofia had witnessed the slap. She had sat at the table while her son humiliated his pregnant wife, and she had not intervened.
Rosa reached for her phone.
"Don't open it."
But Emma moved toward the door.
"Why are you here?"
"I came alone," Sofia answered. "I want to talk."
"About what?"
"About your father."
Emma felt the floor tilt beneath her.
Rosa caught her elbow.
"Emma, no."
From the hallway, Sofia spoke again.
"Your husband has been searching for you, but he isn't the only person looking. Victor Russo has men watching the hospitals and the roads. If he finds you first, he won't ask politely for the folder."
Emma opened the door but kept the chain in place.
Sofia looked older than she had at the dinner. Her expensive coat was wet, and her hands trembled slightly.
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because I was there the night Michael Hayes died."
Emma stopped breathing.
Sofia lowered her eyes.
"Your father tried to warn my husband that Victor was stealing from the organization. He had evidence. My husband ordered him to deliver it, but Victor intercepted him."
"Was Dante there?"
"Yes."
The answer came so quietly that Emma barely heard it.
"Your husband was nineteen. He followed his father to the warehouse. By the time he understood what was happening, Michael had been shot."
Emma gripped the door.
"Did Dante kill him?"
"No," Sofia whispered. "But he helped conceal what happened afterward."
The hallway seemed to close around them.
Sofia removed a small envelope from her coat.
"I kept this for eleven years. I should have given it to you sooner."
Inside was a photograph of Michael Hayes holding a baby.
May you like
On the back, in handwriting Emma recognized, were six words.
If anything happens, protect my daughter.
