Chapter 5 - The Woman in the PhotographChapter 5: The Escape Through the ChapelDante pulled Alina from the rocking chair before she could stand.
“Stay behind me.”
“Leo—”
“Keep him against your chest.”
The nursery door slammed shut as a burst of gunfire tore through the hallway. Wood splintered above Dante’s shoulder. He shoved Alina toward the adjoining bathroom, then fired twice through the door.
The baby screamed into her neck.
Alina crouched beside the bathtub, protecting Leo with her body. She heard men shouting in the hall, the heavy impact of someone hitting the wall, and Dante’s voice cutting through the chaos.
“Mara! Take the east stairs!”
“She’s with me!” the older woman shouted.
The bathroom door opened. Dante grabbed Alina’s wrist.
“Move.”
She followed him through the dressing room and into a narrow passage concealed behind a wardrobe. The passage smelled of dust and old stone. Mara hurried ahead with a flashlight, while two guards followed behind them.
“Where are we going?” Alina asked.
“The private chapel.”
“You have a chapel?”
“My mother built it.”
“Is there an exit?”
“There are three.”
They descended a spiral staircase. Leo’s cries became louder as the walls closed around them, and Alina fought the urge to turn back. She had only known the baby for an hour, yet she already felt responsible for keeping him safe.
At the bottom, Mara opened a steel door.
The chapel beyond was small and beautiful, with dark wooden benches, a stone altar, and a stained-glass window depicting a white bird rising through blue flames.
“Put the baby down,” Dante said.
“He won’t let go.”
Leo’s fingers were tangled in her coat.
“Then don’t force him.”
Dante moved to the far wall and pressed a hidden switch. A panel slid aside, revealing a tunnel.
“You built an escape route beneath your chapel?” Alina asked.
“My mother did.”
“Your family planned for everything.”
“Not everything.”
He glanced at the baby in her arms.
The guards entered the chapel. Enzo was among them, his face cut above one eyebrow.
“The western wing is secure,” he said. “We caught one man. He swallowed a poison capsule before we could question him.”
“Who is missing?” Dante asked.
Enzo’s eyes shifted toward Mara.
“Answer me.”
“Your private physician,” Enzo said. “Dr. Keane never reached the house.”
Dante’s mouth became a hard line.
“He was the only person who knew Leo’s medical history.”
“And he knew you brought Alina here,” Enzo added.
Alina’s fear changed shape. The attack was not random. Someone had been listening to the baby monitor. Someone knew her identity. Someone wanted her dead badly enough to send armed men into Dante’s home.
“How did they learn my name?” she asked.
No one answered.
Mara suddenly walked to the altar. Her hands trembled as she touched the stone base.
“There is something you need to see,” she said.
Dante’s gaze sharpened. “What?”
Mara pressed her palm against a small metal cross. A drawer opened beneath the altar.
Inside lay an old envelope, a black-and-white photograph, and a silver key.
She handed the photograph to Alina.
Alina saw a younger version of her mother standing beside a woman she did not recognize. The photo had been taken outside a hospital. Her mother was smiling, but the other woman looked frightened.
Behind them stood a much younger Dante Rosselli.
He could not have been older than seventeen.
And beside him stood a boy with a dragon tattoo already visible on his wrist.
Luca.
Alina’s fingers tightened around the photograph.
“Where did you get this?” she asked.
Mara looked at Dante.
“Your mother gave it to me the night she died,” she said.
Alina slowly turned. “Your mother knew mine?”
Dante stepped toward the altar. “Mara, what are you saying?”
“Elena Rosselli and Rosa Valdez were friends long before either of you understood what your fathers were doing. Rosa worked as a bookkeeper for the shipping company. Elena discovered the trafficking ring and tried to help her expose it.”
Alina stared at the picture.
Her mother had never mentioned Elena Rosselli.
“Why did she hide this?”
“Because Elena believed Rafael would kill them both if he knew.”
Dante’s voice dropped. “My mother was involved?”
“She was trying to protect your brother and you.”
“What happened?”
Mara looked toward the stained-glass window.
“Rafael discovered the plan. He forced Elena to choose between her sons. She helped Luca escape the city. Dante was left behind because Rafael was already suspicious of him.”
Dante stared at the photograph as if it had become a weapon.
“That’s why Luca disappeared,” he murmured.
“He was not dead when he left,” Mara said.
The chapel became silent.
Alina looked at her. “What?”
Mara’s eyes filled with tears. “The car explosion six months ago was staged. The body belonged to someone else.”
Dante took one step forward. “You knew my brother was alive?”
“I knew he might be.”
“You let me bury an empty grave.”
“I was trying to keep you alive.”
Dante’s rage filled the small room. Even the guards lowered their eyes.
Alina understood then that Dante’s control was not calmness. It was a lid over something vast and violent.
“Where is Luca?” he demanded.
Mara handed him the silver key.
“Find the room beneath Saint Agnes Hospital. The key opens a locker there.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before tonight?”
“Because Luca said the dragon’s heir would come for the Valdez girl.”
Dante looked at Alina.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
Mara’s lips parted, but the chapel doors exploded inward.
A grenade rolled across the floor.
Dante grabbed Alina and threw them both behind the altar as the blast shook the stone walls. Fire flashed across the chapel. Glass rained from the stained window. Leo wailed.
Alina pressed her cheek to the baby’s head.
Through the smoke, a figure stepped into the doorway.
He wore a charcoal coat.
Victor Hale smiled at her.
“You were always difficult to kill, little Lina.”
Dante rose with his gun aimed at the man’s heart.
“You should have stayed dead.”
Victor’s smile widened.
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“And you should have asked your father why he kept the girl alive.”
Then the chapel lights burst, and he vanished into the smoke.
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