Chapter 9 – The Gold Locket

I stared at the initials.

Hannah Collins.

My hands began to shake. “I don’t understand,” I whispered.

Luca walked over and gently took the locket from my hands. He popped it open.

Inside was a photograph of a young woman laughing in the rain. She had bright green eyes and a familiar smile.

“That’s my mother,” I gasped.

Luca looked from the photo to me. “Sarah gave this to you?”

Leo nodded. “She said the old man gave it to her to hide. He said if anything ever happened, she had to find the daughter of the woman in the picture.”

My mind was spinning. My mother was a retired school teacher. We lived in a cramped apartment. We had no connection to the wealthy Moretti family.

“Why would your father have a picture of my mother?” I asked Luca.

Teresa’s voice came from the kitchen doorway.

“Because your mother saved his life, Hannah.”

We all turned. Teresa was leaning on her cane, looking stronger than she had in months.

“Thirty years ago,” Teresa said slowly, walking into the kitchen. “Before Luca was born. My husband made a terrible mistake. He crossed a rival family. They ambushed him in an alley on the South Side.”

Teresa sat down at the kitchen island, her eyes distant.

“He was bleeding to death. A young woman walking home from work found him. She dragged him into her apartment, hid him from the men searching for him, and spent three days nursing him back to health.”

I covered my mouth. “My mother always told me a story about a stray dog she rescued in the rain…”

Teresa smiled sadly. “He was no dog, sweetheart. But he owed her his life. When he finally left, he promised he would repay her. But she refused his money.”

Teresa pointed to the locket.

“He had that made. He put a portion of his private assets into a safety deposit box. The key is behind the picture.”

Luca carefully pried the small photograph loose. A tiny, flat brass key fell onto the marble counter.

“My husband knew his own sons might become corrupted by the money,” Teresa said, looking at Luca apologetically. “He knew Michael was greedy. He gave the locket to Sarah to hide, knowing she was good and pure. He told her to find Hannah if the family ever lost its way.”

I looked at the key.

“What’s in the box?” I asked.

Luca picked up the key. “Enough to make sure you and your mother never have to worry about anything ever again.”

Then, his phone buzzed.

He looked at the screen, and his jaw tightened.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s Carlo,” Luca said, his voice turning cold. “Michael didn’t go quietly. He made a phone call before they took him.”

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