Chapter 10 – The Sister’s Betrayal
“That makes no sense,” I stammered, gripping the edge of the laundry table. “Maya is a college student. She’s innocent.”
“Come with me,” Luca said gently.
He led me back to the living room. Maya was awake, sitting on the sofa with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She looked up when we entered, her eyes red and puffy.
But she didn’t look scared anymore. She looked defensive.
“Maya,” I said, my voice shaking. “Did you know Vanessa?”
Maya pulled the blanket tighter. She wouldn’t meet my eyes. “She found me in Boston three months ago. She said she knew what happened to Mom and Dad.”
“And you believed her?”
“She showed me the bank records, Emily!” Maya snapped, suddenly standing up. “She showed me that Luca’s family paid Mom half a million dollars before she lost her license. Mom didn’t lose her license because she falsified an autopsy for Vanessa. She lost it because she was running an illegal clinic for the Moretti family!”
The room spun. “What?”
“Mom and Dad were in on it together,” Maya cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Dad washed the money, Mom patched up the soldiers. They were mobsters, Emily. Our parents were criminals.”
I looked at Luca. He didn’t deny it.
“My father recruited them,” Luca admitted softly. “I tried to get them out when I took over. But your father got greedy. He tried to steal from Daniel to run away. That’s why Daniel killed him.”
Maya reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, heavy brass coin. It was engraved with numbers.
“Vanessa promised me that if I gave her this combination coin, she would give me the rest of the money the Morettis owed our parents,” Maya said bitterly. “She staged the kidnapping to force you to bring the necklace. She wanted everything.”
“You sold me out for money?” I whispered, staring at my little sister.
“I did it so we could finally be free of them!” Maya yelled. She threw the coin at Luca’s chest. “Take it! Take your stupid secrets!”
She stormed past me, heading for the front door.
“Maya, wait!” I called out.
She paused with her hand on the doorknob. She looked back at me, her eyes cold.
“Don’t follow me, Emily. You chose a side tonight. And you chose the people who killed our family.”
The door slammed shut.
I stood there in the quiet living room, my heart shattered into a million pieces.
Luca picked up the brass coin from the floor. He looked at it, then at the silver key in his hand.
“She’s wrong about one thing,” Luca said quietly.
“What?” I asked, wiping a tear from my cheek.
“My father didn’t order your parents’ deaths,” Luca said. “And Daniel didn’t act alone.” He looked up at me, his eyes burning with a dark realization. “My mother is still alive. And this locker key belongs to her.”
