Chapter 2 – The Lie In The Front Seat

“Liar!” Vanessa screamed, lunging forward.

Before she could even reach within three feet of the boy, Luca moved. He grabbed Vanessa by the wrist, twisting her arm just enough to make her gasp in pain, and shoved her backward. She stumbled, knocking over a crystal wine glass that shattered across the marble.

“Get out,” Luca snarled.

“Luca, you cannot believe a child over your future wife!” Vanessa pleaded, tears streaming down her perfectly contoured face.

“The engagement is over,” Luca said coldly. He signaled to the two massive security guards standing by the grand double doors. “Escort Miss Bellini to the gate. Do not let her pack. Have her things boxed and thrown onto the street.”

“You will regret this!” Vanessa shrieked as the guards grabbed her arms. “Dominic will take everything from you!”

The heavy oak doors slammed shut behind her, cutting off her screams.

The dining room was dead silent.

Luca turned to his guests. “Dinner is over. Everyone go home.”

Within five minutes, the mansion was empty, save for the security detail.

I sat with Oliver on the grand staircase, holding him close. He was shaking, the adrenaline of the confrontation finally wearing off.

Luca walked over to us, the gold money clip still tightly clutched in his hand. He sat down heavily on the step below us, looking up at his son.

“Oliver,” Luca said gently, all the anger gone from his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me you were in the car?”

Oliver looked down at his shoes. “Because Mommy told me to hide.”

My breath caught in my throat.

“Hide?” Luca asked, his brow furrowing. “Hide where?”

“In the trunk,” Oliver whispered. “We were playing a game. She said we were going to surprise you at the office. I climbed into the back through the fold-down seats.”

Luca closed his eyes, the agonizing image of his wife’s final moments playing out in his mind. “And then what happened, buddy?”

“We stopped at a red light,” Oliver said, his voice tiny. “And Vanessa got in.”

Luca’s eyes snapped open. “Vanessa got into the car?”

“She was yelling,” Oliver explained. “She was telling Mommy that she needed to leave you alone. She said Mommy didn’t belong in the family anymore.”

I tightened my arm around Oliver. The poor boy had been carrying this horrific secret for two years.

“Mommy told her to get out,” Oliver continued. “But Vanessa wouldn’t. She grabbed the steering wheel. They were fighting, Daddy. And then… then we went off the road.”

Luca buried his face in his hands. A ragged, broken sob escaped his throat.

For two years, the police had called it a tragic accident. A slick road, a lost patch of traction.

It was murder.

I reached out, tentatively placing a hand on Luca’s broad shoulder. He didn’t pull away.

“Mr. Moretti,” I said softly. “If Vanessa caused the crash… why did Dominic come here last night? Why give Oliver the money clip now?”

Luca looked up, his dark eyes filled with a terrifying realization.

“Because Dominic isn’t trying to help me,” Luca whispered. “He’s blackmailing Vanessa. He must have known she was in the car. He let her get engaged to me so she would have access to my accounts.”

Suddenly, the front doors burst open.

A security guard rushed in, his face pale, bleeding from a cut on his forehead.

“Boss!” the guard shouted. “They ambushed us at the gate!”

Luca was on his feet in a second, pulling a gun from a shoulder holster hidden beneath his jacket. “Who?”

“Dominic’s men,” the guard gasped. “They hit our transport vehicle. Vanessa is gone. But sir… they didn’t just take her.”

The guard looked directly at me.

“They took the maid’s mother.”

TITLE: The Hostage In The Rain

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