Chapter 15 - The Secret My Mother Kept
I didn't want to believe it.
Not Elena.
Not my mother.
Not the two women who had apparently known each other for months while I'd struggled to pay rent and cared for Mom after exhausting double shifts.
“You arranged my job?”
My voice sounded strange.
Flat.
Disbelieving.
Elena nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
I looked at Rico.
He appeared just as stunned.
“You knew Clara would meet Leo?”
Elena shook her head.
“No. We hoped someone kind would be near him when things became difficult. We never knew whether Clara would approach him.”
I stared at her.
“Then why me?”
She looked toward the river.
“Because Rose told me about you.”
I almost laughed.
“My mother tells everyone about me.”
Elena smiled sadly.
“She told me about the way you sat with frightened patients when you volunteered at the hospital.”
I looked down.
That had been years ago.
Before Mom became ill.
Before rent and bills took over our lives.
“She told me you understood panic attacks because you had them yourself.”
My throat tightened.
I remembered telling Rico about the school nurse.
The woman who had stayed beside me.
The woman who had taught me that frightened children didn't need to be ordered into silence.
Elena continued.
“I was terrified Vincent would hurt Leo. I needed someone outside the family who might treat him gently.”
I shook my head.
“So you placed me in his restaurant without telling me?”
“Yes.”
“And you let me walk into danger?”
Her face crumpled.
“I didn't know how far Vincent would go.”
“That isn't good enough.”
Rico stepped toward us.
“Clara—”
I turned sharply.
“No.”
He stopped.
“This is between me and her.”
He nodded.
I looked back at Elena.
“Do you know what happened to my mother?”
Her eyes widened.
“She was attacked.”
“She was hospitalized. Someone tore apart her apartment. Someone threatened to kill her.”
Elena covered her mouth.
“I'm sorry.”
“Sorry doesn't fix that.”
Tears blurred my vision.
“I had a life. Not an easy one, but it was mine.”
Elena nodded through her tears.
“You're right.”
I waited.
She continued.
“I made a choice for you that I had no right to make.”
For a moment, the honesty disarmed me.
She wiped her cheeks.
“When Rose told me you needed a job, I contacted a person who could influence hiring at Il Destino. I thought having a compassionate employee near Leo might help him.”
“Marco?”
“No.”
My heart sank.
“Who?”
Elena hesitated.
“Caroline Shaw.”
Rico swore.
I stared.
“Vincent's attorney's daughter?”
Elena nodded.
“I didn't know then that she was working for him.”
Dante stepped closer.
“That's how Vincent knew Clara's name before Leo met her.”
Elena's face changed.
“Yes.”
I felt sick.
The job.
The tracking device.
The threats.
Vincent hadn't chosen me because Leo stopped crying.
He'd already known exactly who I was.
And my presence gave him a way to frighten Elena's allies.
I turned away.
“I need to see my mom.”
Rico nodded.
“We'll take you.”
“No.”
He looked at me.
I took a breath.
“I need to go with someone I choose. I can't keep being moved around without knowing what's happening.”
He was silent.
Then he nodded.
“Okay.”
No argument.
No order.
Just okay.
I called the hospital.
My mother was stable.
The police had arranged additional protection.
For the first time that morning, I felt a little air enter my lungs.
Then Elena approached.
“Clara?”
I looked at her.
She stopped several feet away.
“May I tell you one more thing?”
I didn't answer immediately.
Then I nodded.
She lowered her voice.
“I didn't send you into the restaurant to save my husband.”
I swallowed.
“I know.”
“I sent you there because my little boy needed someone who wouldn't be afraid to be gentle with him.”
Her eyes filled.
“And when I heard what you did, I knew Rose had been right about you.”
I looked away.
I wanted to remain angry.
Part of me was.
But I also remembered Leo's tiny hand reaching for mine.
Nobody had made me take it.
That choice had been mine.
A detective approached with an investigator from the district attorney's office.
“Mrs. Moretti, we need your statement.”
Elena nodded.
Rico moved closer.
“I'm staying.”
The detective looked uncomfortable.
“Mr. Moretti, there are questions about your business operations as well.”
“I know.”
“Those questions may be difficult.”
Rico looked at Elena.
Then at me.
“Ask them.”
Elena reached for his hand.
And for the first time, I saw them stand together without hiding behind fear.
But as the investigators escorted them toward separate vehicles, Dante's phone rang.
His face went pale.
He listened.
Then looked at Rico.
“Boss, it's the safe house.”
Rico stopped.
“What?”
May you like
Dante swallowed.
“Mrs. Bellini says Leo is missing.”
