“A year after Lily was born, he found the evidence he needed. He said he was going to meet someone who could get him safely to you.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where?”
“An abandoned church outside Joliet.”
“And?”
“He never returned.”
My voice dropped.
“You saw the body?”
“No.”
“Then you don’t know he is dead.”
“I received his ring.”
She reached beneath her blouse and pulled out a chain.
Matteo’s signet ring hung from it.
The real one.
The ring recovered from the explosion had been a copy.
My brother had worn this ring from the day I gave it to him. A tiny scratch crossed the lion crest where he had once struck a brick wall during a fight with our father.
I took it from Elena.
The metal felt cold in my palm.
“There was also a message,” she said.
“What message?”
“Run. Protect Lily. Trust no Romano.”
The words cut deeper than any accusation.
Trust no Romano.
That included me.
“Why come here?” I asked.
Elena lowered her eyes.
“Because I ran out of places to hide.”
“You chose the one house he told you to avoid.”
“I didn’t choose it.”
I looked at her.
She swallowed.
“Someone sent me here.”
A chill moved through the room.
“Who?”
“I don’t know. Three months ago, an envelope appeared under my door. Inside was cash, a reference letter, and your housekeeper’s hiring notice. There was one sentence written on the back.”
“What did it say?”
“Lily will be safest near the man who does not know she exists.”
I stared at her.
“You still came?”
“I thought Matteo might have arranged it before he died.”
“Or someone wanted you inside my home.”
“I know.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t know whether you killed him.”
The words were barely audible.
But I heard them.
For the first time in years, I had no immediate response.
Elena’s eyes lifted to mine.
“I knew what people said about you. I knew Matteo had discovered a traitor inside your family. I knew he vanished while trying to reach you. How was I supposed to know you weren’t the person he feared?”
Pain sharpened into anger.
