THE MAN IN THE GIFT ROOM

The darkness in the secret passageway was absolute.

Dust coated my throat, but I didn't dare cough.

Through the thin wooden slats of the bookcase, I could see the beams of Dominic’s flashlights sweeping across the study.

“They’re not here, Boss,” a mercenary grunted.

“Check the walls,” Dominic barked. “Luca’s paranoid. He has rats' nests all over this house.”

Luca’s hand tightened around my waist. He pulled me backward, away from the door, guiding me blindly down the narrow, descending stairs inside the walls.

We moved in complete silence for what felt like hours, though it was only minutes. My ankle throbbed with a sickening, heavy pulse, but fear fueled my legs.

Finally, the stairs ended.

Luca stopped. He reached out in the dark and pressed his palm against a stone wall. A soft click echoed, and a small, heavy iron door swung open.

We stepped out into the mansion’s cavernous basement. It was cold, smelling of damp earth and old wine.

Luca let go of me and pulled a small penlight from his pocket, shielding the bulb with his hand so it only cast a faint red glow on the floor.

“Where are we going?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

“The garage,” Luca replied, his eyes scanning the shadows. “I have a reinforced SUV fueled and ready. If we can make it to the city limits, I have men waiting.”

“What about the ledger?” I asked.

Luca looked at me, the red light casting harsh shadows across his sharp jawline.

“To hell with the ledger,” he said fiercely. “I don't care about the money, Hannah. I care about keeping you alive.”

My breath caught.

For ten months, I had been completely invisible to him. A ghost in an apron. Now, the most powerful man in Chicago was willing to burn his empire to the ground to protect me.

We moved quickly through the wine cellar, weaving between massive oak barrels.

Suddenly, a small, muffled sound came from the corner of the room.

A whimper.

Luca froze. He raised his gun, sweeping the red penlight toward the sound.

Huddled behind a stack of empty crates, shivering uncontrollably, was a small boy.

He was no older than six, with messy dark hair and terrified brown eyes. He was clutching a ragged teddy bear.

Leo. Mia’s son.

Answer one. Vanessa hadn't left the child at the auction house. She brought him here as a shield.

Open two. If Vanessa had the child, why was he hiding alone in the dark?

I didn't think. I just moved.

I limped forward, dropping to my knees on the cold stone floor, and reached out to the boy.

“Hey,” I whispered softly. “It’s okay. We aren’t going to hurt you.”

The boy flinched, shrinking back.

“My mom said the bad man is coming,” Leo whimpered, his bottom lip trembling.

“Your mom?” Luca asked, lowering his gun and stepping closer. “Mia left you here?”

Leo shook his head violently. “No. The lady in the red dress. She said she was my new mom.”

Vanessa.

Before Luca could process the sickness of that lie, a blinding spotlight snapped on, flooding the cellar in harsh, brilliant white light.

I screamed, throwing my arms over Leo to shield him.

Standing at the far end of the cellar, flanked by four heavily armed mercenaries, was Vanessa.

She wasn't wearing her red silk gown anymore. She was dressed in a sharp black suit, her blonde hair pulled back tightly.

In her right hand, she held the real antique emerald necklace.

In her left hand, she held a silver revolver, pointed directly at my head.

“Bravo, Luca,” Vanessa mocked, her voice echoing off the stone walls. “You found the rat. Pity you won't live to see him grow up.”

Luca stepped in front of me, shielding both me and Leo with his body. He raised his handgun, aiming directly at Vanessa’s chest.

“It’s over, Vanessa,” Luca said coldly. “Dominic’s men are upstairs. You’re trapped.”

Vanessa laughed. It was a sharp, grating sound.

“Dominic works for me, darling. I bought his debts in Rome. He’s nothing but a dog on a leash.”

She took a step forward, the gun unwavering.

“I spent two years playing the perfect, adoring fiancée,” she spat, her mask completely gone. “I smiled at your boring friends. I planned this ridiculous wedding. All to get access to that vault. And you almost ruined it by hiring the architect's daughter to clean my toilets.”

Reversal. Vanessa didn't discover who I was after I was hired. She knew exactly who I was.

“You hired me,” I realized aloud, staring at her from behind Luca. “You brought me here on purpose.”

Vanessa smirked. “Of course I did, Hannah. You were my backup plan. If Dominic couldn't hack the vault, I needed the physical key.”

She cocked the hammer of the revolver.

“Cut off her hand, Luca,” Vanessa ordered, tossing a heavy hunting knife onto the floor between them. “Give me the bracelet. Or I shoot the kid. Then I shoot her. And then I shoot you.”

Luca looked at the knife on the floor.

He looked at Vanessa.

Then, slowly, he lowered his gun.

My heart stopped.

“Luca, no,” I whispered.

Luca didn't look at me. He bent down and picked up the hunting knife. The blade gleamed under the harsh lights.

He turned to face me. His eyes were completely unreadable.

“Give me your wrist, Hannah,” he said softly.

Tears spilled over my cheeks. I clutched Leo tighter.

“Please,” I begged.

Luca grabbed my right arm. His grip was like iron. He pulled my arm out, exposing the silver bracelet on my wrist.

He raised the knife.