Chapter 4 – THE BRACELET

Elena froze, the air leaving her lungs.

Sofia’s red silk dress from dinner had been replaced by black jeans and a turtleneck, but the cruel, triumphant smile was exactly the same.

“Where is my mother?” Elena demanded, her hand tightening around the rosary in her pocket. She just needed to press the crucifix.

“Upstairs. Sleeping like a baby,” Sofia said lazily. “Don’t worry, she’s unharmed. She thinks I’m a battered women’s shelter worker and Leo is an orphan fleeing an abusive father. She took us in out of the goodness of her sweet, naive heart.”

“You’re a monster,” Elena whispered.

“I’m a businesswoman,” Sofia corrected, standing up. The gun didn’t waver. “Now, take your hand out of your coat pocket. Slowly.”

Elena hesitated.

Sofia cocked the gun. “I’m not a patient woman, Elena. Hand out. Now.”

Elena pulled her hand free. She hadn’t pressed the button.

“Good,” Sofia said. “Now put your phone on the coffee table.”

Elena complied.

“Why are you doing this?” Elena asked, trying to keep her voice steady. “If you want money, Matteo would have paid you. Why humiliate me? Why plot to kill Rosa?”

Sofia let out a bitter laugh. “You really don’t know anything about your husband’s business, do you? You just arrange the flowers and bake the lasagna.”

Sofia stepped closer, the barrel of the gun pointing directly at Elena’s chest.

“Money isn’t power in this city, Elena. Real estate is. Rosa Valenti owns the shipping ports. But her will states that if she dies, control of the ports goes to Matteo—unless Matteo is deemed ‘unfit’ by the commission. A man whose mistress assassinates his grandmother? Very unfit.”

Elena pieced it together. “You’re working for the rival families. You’re trying to destroy Matteo’s reputation so they can take the ports.”

“Bingo,” Sofia smirked.

“And Leo?”

“Insurance. But now that you’re here, you’ve given me a much better idea.”

Sofia reached out and grabbed Elena’s left wrist, forcefully pushing her sleeve up.

Elena gasped as Sofia yanked off her gold charm bracelet—the one Matteo had given her on their first anniversary.

“What are you doing?” Elena asked.

Sofia walked over to the fireplace. She dropped the gold bracelet onto the hearth.

“Tomorrow morning,” Sofia said coldly, “the police are going to find this house burned to the ground. Inside, they’ll find your mother’s body, the boy’s body, and your gold bracelet in the ashes.”

Elena’s blood turned to ice.

“They will think you found out about Leo, went crazy with jealousy, and burned the house down,” Sofia continued. “Matteo’s wife, a child-murderer. He’ll lose the ports, he’ll lose his grandmother, and he’ll go to prison trying to cover up your mess.”

“You won’t get away with this,” Elena choked out.

“I already have,” Sofia smiled.

Suddenly, a tiny, sleepy voice called out from the top of the stairs.

“Auntie Sofia? I’m thirsty.”

Sofia turned her head for a fraction of a second to look at the stairs.

It was the only opening Elena was going to get.

She didn’t run for the door. She lunged forward, slamming both hands into Sofia’s chest.

The gun went off, a muffled thwip that shattered the front window.

Sofia stumbled backward, dropping the weapon.

Elena scrambled for the gun, but Sofia grabbed her hair, yanking her hard onto the hardwood floor.

As Elena hit the ground, her coat pocket tore open.

The heavy silver rosary spilled out, sliding across the floor.

And as it hit the wall, the crucifix snapped open.

Inside wasn’t a tracking device.

It was a tiny, folded piece of paper.

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