Chapter 2 - The House That Had Been Listening
Dominic reached the staircase in three strides.
“Daniel!”
His guard appeared at the upper landing.
“Sir?”
“Find Nathan.”
Daniel glanced past him.
“He just went toward the east hallway.”
“Stop him before he reaches the garage.”
Daniel started running.
Dominic turned to Marcus.
“Stay with Mia and Harper until the paramedics take over.”
Then he climbed the stairs.
The mansion had forty-three rooms, eight exterior doors, and a security system that cost more each year than most families earned in a decade.
Dominic knew every camera position.
He knew which gates could open automatically.
He knew which doors were reinforced.
And he suddenly understood that none of those precautions mattered if the people controlling them wanted him dead.
As he crossed the great hall, his phone vibrated.
A message from Nathan.
I'm going to get Claire so we can clear this up.
Dominic called him.
No answer.
He called again.
Voicemail.
By the time he reached the garage, Daniel was standing beside an empty parking space.
Nathan's black Mercedes was gone.
“The west gate opened three minutes ago,” Daniel reported.
“Who authorized it?”
“Security control.”
“Which operator?”
“Luis Moreno.”
“Bring him to my office.”
Daniel hesitated.
“Sir, there's something else.”
Dominic looked at him.
“The cameras went offline at 4:12 this morning.”
“For maintenance?”
“That's what the system says.”
“Who requested it?”
Daniel swallowed.
“Nathan.”
Dominic felt something cold settle in his stomach.
The ambulance arrived as he returned to the house.
Two paramedics carried a stretcher down to the cellar.
Mia's heart rate was elevated, her blood pressure dangerously low, and the bruises around her wrists suggested prolonged restraint.
Harper refused to release her hand.
Eventually, a female paramedic knelt beside the little girl.
“You can ride with Mommy.”
Harper looked toward Dominic.
“Will they take her away again?”
He crouched.
“No.”
“Promise?”
Dominic had made promises before.
He had promised Elena that he would stop postponing their honeymoon.
He had promised his mother that the family business would become legitimate.
He had promised himself that no one else would die because of the life he had chosen.
He had broken enough promises to know their weight.
But looking into Harper's frightened eyes, he answered without hesitation.
“I promise you'll know where your mommy is.”
Harper studied him.
Then she nodded.
As the paramedics lifted Mia onto the stretcher, her silver bird pendant slipped from beneath Dominic's coat.
It was an ordinary piece of jewelry.
A small silver swallow with one wing raised.
Dominic had seen Mia wear it every day since she arrived at the estate.
Suddenly, he remembered another pendant.
Elena had owned one almost identical to it.
A swallow with its wings spread.
She had worn it the night of the fire.
Dominic reached toward Mia's necklace.
“Where did you get this?”
She turned her head weakly.
“My sister.”
“What was her name?”
Mia's eyes filled with tears.
“Rebecca.”
Dominic's chest tightened.
Elena had once employed a young assistant named Rebecca Carter.
After Elena's funeral, the assistant had disappeared.
Dominic had been told she moved to Pennsylvania to care for her sick mother.
He had never questioned it.
“Rebecca worked for Elena,” he said.
Mia nodded.
“She was my older sister.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because she made me promise I wouldn't.”
Dominic stared at her.
“Why?”
Mia looked toward Harper.
“Not in front of my daughter.”
The paramedics began moving.
Dominic stepped aside.
He watched the stretcher disappear through the front doors.
Then he turned to Daniel.
“Have the hospital assign Mia a private room with security outside.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And find Claire.”
“She isn't answering.”
“Check her apartment.”
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Dominic, Claire's apartment was emptied yesterday.”
For a moment, neither man spoke.
Then Dominic asked the question that changed the entire investigation.
“Where was Nathan when Elena died?”
Daniel frowned.
“I thought he was with you.”
“So did I.”
Dominic looked toward the empty garage.
“But if Nathan knew Claire was taking Mia into that cellar, why would he leave her alive for three days?”
Daniel had no answer.
Dominic walked to his office.
His mother's portrait hung above the fireplace.
Beneath it stood an antique cabinet that Elena had once used to store personal correspondence.
The cabinet had remained locked since her death.
Dominic opened the bottom drawer and removed a narrow brass key.
Elena had asked him to keep it.
He had obeyed without ever understanding why.
Seven years later, he finally opened the cabinet.
Inside was a single envelope.
Across the front, in Elena's handwriting, were seven words.
May you like
If Nathan ever betrays you, read this.
Dominic tore it open.
