Chapter 6 - THE CHILD TAKEN TWICE
Matteo did not come alone.
He simply made it look that way.
The kidnapper instructed him to drive to the abandoned Saint Aurelia maternity annex at 3:00 a.m.
No police.
No security.
No tracking devices.
The Graves file in exchange for Nico.
Matteo obeyed exactly none of those instructions except the location.
Liana insisted on going.
“No.”
“He responds to me.”
“No.”
“If he’s frightened—”
“No.”
She stepped in front of him.
“You are not the only person who loves that baby.”
Matteo stared.
The words had escaped before she could stop them.
Liana swallowed.
“I don’t mean—”
“Yes, you do.”
She looked away.
He was right.
It had been hours.
That was all.
Yet grief had opened some unbearable door inside her when Nico reached toward her.
And learning he was Elena’s son had transformed that connection into something she could not explain.
Nephew.
Blood.
Family.
The first family Liana had discovered in nineteen years.
Matteo exhaled.
“You stay in the vehicle.”
“Fine.”
“You do not leave it.”
“Fine.”
“That was too easy.”
“It’s three in the morning.”
He almost smiled.
Almost.
Then his face hardened again.
The maternity annex had closed seven years earlier.
Windows boarded.
Parking lot cracked.
One security lamp flickered over the entrance.
Matteo walked inside carrying the file.
Liana remained in the armored SUV with a driver.
For ninety seconds.
Then she heard a baby crying.
She opened the door.
The driver caught her arm.
“Miss Graves.”
“That’s Nico.”
“Mr. Varric said—”
“That is Nico.”
She pulled away.
Inside, Matteo stood in the old admissions hall.
Across from him was Maribel Santos.
The missing nanny.
She held Nico.
Liana stopped.
Maribel looked exhausted.
Not dangerous.
Terrified.
A pistol lay on the counter beside her.
But she was not holding it.
Matteo kept both hands visible.
“You took my son.”
“I saved him.”
“From my house?”
“From the people coming for him.”
“You rendered my guard unconscious.”
“He tried to stop me.”
“You could have called.”
“They monitor your phones.”
“Who?”
Maribel looked at Liana.
“You weren’t supposed to come.”
Liana stepped forward.
“Where is my son?”
Maribel’s face crumpled.
“You found the file.”
“Where is Elias?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I don’t know.”
Liana moved closer.
“Nico.”
The baby heard her.
His head turned.
He reached.
Maribel whispered, “See?”
Liana stared.
“What?”
“He did the same thing with Elena.”
“Where is she?”
Maribel looked toward the dark hallway.
“Close.”
A door opened.
Liana stopped breathing.
A thin woman stepped from the darkness.
Dark hair threaded with gray.
Hollow cheeks.
A scar above one eyebrow.
Silver necklace.
Liana did not move.
Neither did the woman.
Nineteen years vanished.
“Elena?”
The woman covered her mouth.
“Lia.”
Nobody had called her that since she was twelve.
Liana broke.
She crossed the room running.
Elena caught her.
Both collapsed against each other.
Nineteen years of questions became sobs.
Liana gripped her sister’s coat.
“You left me.”
“I know.”
“You left me.”
“I didn’t want to.”
“I waited.”
“I know.”
“Mom died waiting.”
Elena cried harder.
“I know.”
“Why didn’t you come home?”
“I tried.”
Liana pulled back.
“Then where were you?”
“Owned.”
The word silenced the room.
Elena wiped her face.
“Vittoria’s people took me from the employment office.”
“They kept me in houses.”
“Clinics.”
“Private apartments.”
“Every time I ran, they found me.”
“When Vittoria disappeared, Serena helped me escape.”
Matteo stepped forward.
“My wife knew.”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Before she met you.”
His face tightened.
Elena looked at Nico.
“Serena married you partly because she thought she could dismantle the network from inside.”
Matteo absorbed that in silence.
“She loved you,” Elena added.
“Don’t confuse the two.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
“She was gathering proof.”
“And Nico?”
Elena closed her eyes.
“He was never supposed to become yours.”
Matteo’s stare sharpened.
Elena continued.
“I became pregnant during the last year Vittoria’s remaining network controlled me.”
“Whose child?”
“I don’t know.”
Liana’s face changed.
Elena lifted a hand.
“I don’t want to know.”
Liana nodded immediately.
Matteo did too.
Elena looked at Nico.
“I delivered him at Saint Aurelia.”
“I was told he died.”
Matteo went still.
Liana whispered, “Just like Elias.”
“Yes.”
“Serena gave birth the same night.”
Elena’s voice broke.
“Her baby was stillborn.”
Matteo’s face lost all expression.
“She never told you.”
“No.”
“She woke after surgery.”
“Vittoria’s people had already put Nico beside her.”
“They told Serena the baby was hers.”
“She realized the truth when she saw the records.”
Matteo looked at Nico.
“So Serena knew Nico wasn’t ours.”
“Within forty-eight hours.”
“And she said nothing to me.”
“She was terrified they would take him again.”
“From whom?”
Elena’s answer was immediate.
“Your mother.”
Matteo stared.
“Vittoria is alive?”
Elena looked directly at him.
“Yes.”
The abandoned hospital seemed to become colder.
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’ve seen her?”
“Three weeks ago.”
Matteo’s hand tightened.
“What did she want?”
“Elena?”
Liana asked the question.
Her sister looked at her.
“You.”
Liana felt sick.
“Why?”
“Because when you became pregnant, the hospital flagged your name.”
“My name?”
“Our bloodline was still in their system.”
Liana looked toward the Graves file.
Elena nodded.
“They took Elias because he matched someone’s request.”
“Whose?”
“I don’t know.”
Maribel spoke.
“We think a family overseas.”
Liana’s legs weakened.
“Overseas?”
Elena grabbed her hand.
“They haven’t moved him yet.”
“How do you know?”
“Because the transfer route was interrupted.”
“By you?”
“By Serena’s people.”
Matteo looked at Elena.
“Serena had people?”
“She had Maribel.”
Maribel nodded.
“And two others.”
“One is dead.”
“The other disappeared.”
Matteo’s voice was quiet.
“Serena’s accident.”
Elena met his eyes.
“Wasn’t an accident.”
He knew before she said it.
Still, the truth struck.
“Who?”
“Vittoria ordered it.”
Matteo did not move.
Liana watched something close behind his eyes.
Grief becoming something harder.
Nico began crying.
Elena approached.
The baby stared at her.
For one second his face remained uncertain.
Then Elena began the lullaby.
Three rising notes.
Two falling.
Pause.
Nico’s cry stopped.
He reached for her.
Elena took him.
Her entire body shook.
“My baby.”
Matteo looked away.
Liana saw it.
The pain.
Nico belonged to Elena by blood.
To Matteo by every night, every feeding, every fever, every fear.
Nobody in that room had a simple claim.
Then headlights swept across the boarded windows.
Maribel went pale.
“They found us.”
Matteo reached for the pistol.
“How many exits?”
“Rear corridor.”
Gunfire shattered the outer window.
Everyone dropped.
Matteo grabbed Liana.
Maribel carried Nico.
Elena ran beside them.
They escaped through an old ambulance bay as security teams moved in from the perimeter.
Behind them, flames rose inside the annex.
Someone had ignited the records room.
Matteo looked back once.
Then his phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A woman’s voice spoke.
Older.
Calm.
Familiar enough to drain the blood from his face.
“Hello, Matteo.”
He stopped walking.
Liana looked at him.
The voice continued.
“You always were sentimental about broken things.”
May you like
Matteo whispered one word.
“Mother.”
