THE DRIVE INTO THE DARK

I arrived back at the Gold Coast mansion just as the sun began to rise.

The engagement dinner guests were long gone. The house was eerily silent, save for the ticking of the grand clock in the foyer.

I slipped in through the service entrance.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I knew Vanessa’s security guards would be patrolling, but I knew the blind spots of the house better than anyone.

I crept up the back servant stairs, avoiding the creaky fourth step.

I made it to the third-floor hallway.

The door to Lucia Moretti’s bedroom was at the end of the hall. It was always locked.

But now, two massive men in dark suits stood outside of it.

I ducked behind a marble pillar, holding my breath.

How was I supposed to get past them?

Suddenly, the front doors of the mansion burst open downstairs.

“Vanessa!” Luca’s roar shook the chandelier.

The two guards exchanged a look and immediately jogged toward the main staircase, drawing their weapons.

This was my chance.

I sprinted down the hall.

I reached the heavy oak door. I pulled the black key from my pocket—key 317, the one from the sewing box.

My hands shook violently as I forced it into the lock.

Click.

I pushed the door open and slipped inside, locking it behind me.

The room was dark, the heavy velvet curtains drawn shut. The air smelled of stale dust and old perfume.

“Julian?” I whispered.

A shadow moved in the corner.

A lamp clicked on.

Sitting in an armchair, his hands bound with zip ties, was a man who looked exactly like Luca. But his face was gaunt, his hair longer, and his eyes carried a heavy, bruised exhaustion.

He looked up at me.

“You’re not Vanessa,” he rasped.

“I’m Emma,” I said, rushing over to him. I grabbed a letter opener from the vanity desk and started sawing at his plastic restraints. “I’m Chloe’s sister. Leo is safe.”

Julian closed his eyes, letting out a fractured breath. “Thank God.”

The zip ties snapped. He rubbed his bleeding wrists.

“We have to get you out of here. Luca is downstairs.”

Julian’s eyes snapped open. Panic flooded his face. “No! You have to get him out. It’s a trap.”

“What?”

“Vanessa didn’t bring me here to hide me. She brought me here so Luca would find me. Her father is going to frame Luca for my murder tonight, cementing their control of the estate.”

Before I could move, the bedroom door handle rattled.

A key turned in the lock.

Vanessa walked in.

She was still wearing her red engagement gown, but her smile was gone.

In her hand was a silver, pearl-handled revolver.