Chapter 6 - The Shadow of the Family|
"Dr. Aris," Luca said, his voice terrifyingly calm as he opened his eyes. "Leave us."
Dr. Aris packed his equipment quickly, bowing his head to Luca and offering a look of profound respect to Hannah before exiting the suite.
Rocco stepped up to Luca's side. "Boss. If the yellow raincoats were at Ashwood Bridge three years ago... that means it wasn't an accidental structural failure."
"I know," Luca growled softly. "The yellow raincoats were the uniform of the Harbor Security Patrol."
Hannah’s breath hitched in her throat. "Harbor Security?"
"A private security firm," Luca explained, his gray eyes darkening into liquid ice. "Owned and operated by my uncle, Salvatore Moretti."
The room went dead silent.
Sophia looked up from the sofa, holding her father's sleeve. "Uncle Sal? The man who brings me stuffed animals on Sundays?"
Luca walked over to his daughter, dropping to one knee, cupping her small face in his large, warm hands.
"Yes, baby," Luca whispered gently, pressing a tender kiss against her forehead. "Rocco is going to take you to the private bedroom down the hall with Clare. I need to talk to Miss Hannah."
"Is Miss Hannah staying?" Sophia asked anxiously, clinging to her father's suit jacket. "Promise me she won't go away again!"
Luca looked up, his gray eyes locking onto Hannah’s pale face.
"She isn't going anywhere, Sophia," Luca promised softly. "I'm keeping her right here."
Once Rocco and the nanny led Sophia into the master bedroom and shut the heavy oak doors, Luca turned back to Hannah.
He walked over to her, stopping a foot away. Up close, he could smell the subtle scent of warm vanilla and rain clinging to her skin beneath the diner uniform.
"Salvatore told me three years ago that the bridge collapsed due to an unexpected surge in the current," Luca said, his voice dropping into a raspy pitch. "He managed the insurance settlement. He managed the police reports. And he was the one who recommended the medical team that declared Sophia permanently paralyzed."
May you like
Hannah’s eyes widened with horror. "He wanted you to believe she would never walk again?"
"If my daughter is paralyzed, and my wife is dead," Luca whispered, a dark, lethal realization setting into his features, "I spend my time in hospitals instead of managing the family's shipping contracts. Sal has been skimming forty percent off the Brooklyn docks for three years while I was sitting beside my daughter's bed."
