Chapter 3 – THE SPY IN THE HOUSE

The dining room was dead silent.

I stared at the gold pocket watch in my daughter’s small hand. The intricate engravings caught the light of the chandelier.

“Sophie, where did you get that?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“Daddy gave it to me,” she said innocently. “He met me in the hallway outside the bathroom. He said it was a treasure hunt. He told me the secret numbers, and said if I got the shiny watch from the big metal box, we could go to Chicago.”

Luca knelt in front of her, taking the watch gently. “Did he tell you who gave him the secret numbers, sweetheart?”

Sophie shook her head. “No. But he was talking on his phone. He told the person, ‘The maid’s schedule is clear, she’s at the dinner.’”

I gasped.

I was the only maid on duty tonight. Everyone else had been given the evening off for Teresa’s party.

Andrew hadn’t just come to kidnap Sophie. He had used her as a mule to steal from Luca’s private study, knowing she wouldn’t be searched.

But how did Andrew get the safe combination?

“Only three people know that combination,” Luca said, standing up. His eyes scanned the room of wealthy guests and trusted associates. “Me. My mother.”

He stopped, his gaze locking onto a man sitting near the end of the table.

Marcus Vance. Luca’s chief financial advisor.

Marcus went pale. He started to stand, pulling at his collar. “Luca, listen to me. The Rossis, they have my wife. They said if I didn’t help Bennett get the watch and the girl—”

“You betrayed my family,” Luca interrupted, his voice like ice.

“I had no choice!” Marcus yelled, pulling a silver handgun from his jacket.

Screams erupted. Guests dropped to the floor.

I threw myself over Sophie, shielding her with my body.

A gunshot rang out.

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the pain.

But it never came.

I looked up. Marcus was on the ground, groaning, holding a bleeding wrist. Luca stood over him, his own weapon drawn, smoke curling from the barrel.

Luca hadn’t even flinched.

He looked down at me, his hard eyes softening just for a fraction of a second to ensure I was okay.

“Get Marcus out of here,” Luca told his guards. “Put him in the room next to Bennett.”

Teresa Moretti calmly took a sip of her water, unbothered by the chaos. “Well, this is certainly the most exciting birthday I’ve had in years.”

I pulled Sophie up, my legs shaking so badly I could barely stand.

Luca walked over and placed a warm, steadying hand on my shoulder. “Emily, I need you to pack a bag for you and Sophie.”

“Pack a bag?” I repeated, terrified. “Are you firing me?”

“No,” Luca said softly. “I’m moving you out of the servant’s quarters. You’re taking the master guest suite on my floor. Because whoever the Rossis sent to wait for Andrew at the train station is going to realize he isn’t coming.”

He looked toward the front windows.

“And they know exactly where you live.”

Suddenly, the heavy mahogany front doors of the mansion shook with a violent, deafening crash.

Someone was ramming the gates.