Luca did not sleep.
At six the next morning, he was still sitting in his office staring at the photograph.
Matteo.
His younger brother had been twenty-four when the warehouse attack happened.
Luca had been twenty-nine.
Their father, Antonio, died at the scene.
Matteo was supposedly burned beyond recognition inside a vehicle found nearby.
The family had buried what investigators said remained of him.
Luca remembered the funeral.
His mother collapsing beside the grave.
The rain soaking through his coat.
Julian standing beside him, one hand on his shoulder.
“I’ve got you,” Julian had said.
Ten years later, those words felt poisonous.
A soft knock came at the door.
Mia entered wearing pajamas covered in yellow stars.
She carried her rabbit.
Luca stared at her.
“Does your mother know you’re here?”
“No.”
“Of course not.”
She walked to his desk.
“Why are you sad?”
“I’m not.”
“You look sad.”
“I look tired.”
“Mommy looks like that when she’s sad.”
Luca leaned back.
“You’re very observant.”
“I’m three.”
“As I’ve been repeatedly informed.”
She climbed into the chair opposite him.
Her eyes landed on Matteo’s photograph.
“Who’s that?”
“My brother.”
“Where is he?”
Luca paused.
“I don’t know.”
Mia thought about that.
“Then find him.”
Luca almost laughed.
Adults spent fortunes complicating problems.
Children reduced them to verbs.
Find him.
“Working on it.”
“Okay.”
She slid off the chair.
At the door, she turned.
“Mr. Valente?”
“Yes?”
“If he’s little, you have to protect him.”
“He’s thirty-four.”
“That’s big.”
“Very.”
“Then he can protect himself.”
With that, she left.
Luca stared after her.
Ten minutes later, Elena appeared.
“Was Mia in here?”
“No.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“I’ve been told otherwise.”
“She likes you.”
“That appears to be my latest security problem.”
Elena smiled.
Then she saw the photograph.
Her smile disappeared.
“Is that him?”
“Yes.”
“Your brother?”
Luca nodded.
“What are you going to do?”
“Find him.”
Mia shouted from the hallway, “I SAID THAT!”
Elena covered her mouth.
Luca looked toward the door.
“I’m surrounded by spies.”
For a few seconds, life felt almost normal.
Then Julian arrived.
Marco escorted him into the office.
Julian looked from Luca to Elena.
“Elena.”
She said nothing.
“Is Mia all right?”
Luca watched him carefully.
“Why wouldn’t she be?”
Julian removed his coat.
“I heard about the break-in.”
“From whom?”
“Marco.”
Marco’s expression said otherwise.
Julian realized the mistake.
Too late.
Luca stood.
“Sit down.”
Julian didn’t.
“You want to tell me what this is about?”
Luca placed the paper on the desk.
Julian’s eyes dropped to it.
For the first time in years, Luca saw genuine fear on his friend’s face.
“Where did you get that?”
“Mia.”
Julian closed his eyes briefly.
“What did you do?” Luca asked.
“It isn’t what you think.”
“Ten years ago, my father died. My brother disappeared. Yesterday, you secretly met a brother you told me was dead.”
Julian stared at him.
“And last night someone broke into Elena’s apartment looking for this.”
“I didn’t send anyone.”
“Do you expect me to believe you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because if I wanted Elena dead, she wouldn’t be standing here.”
Marco moved instantly.
His hand went toward his weapon.
Luca’s voice became quiet.
“Choose your next sentence carefully.”
Julian looked at Elena.
“That came out wrong.”
“Did it?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Luca stepped around the desk.
“Where is Matteo?”
Julian said nothing.
Luca grabbed his jacket and slammed him against the wall.
Elena flinched.
Marco didn’t.
“Where is my brother?”
Julian’s voice remained strained but controlled.
“I can’t tell you.”
“You can.”
“No.”
Luca hit him.
Julian fell against the bookcase.
Blood appeared at his lip.
He didn’t fight back.
“Ten years,” Luca said. “I stood over an empty grave for ten years?”
“It wasn’t empty.”
Luca froze.
“What?”
Julian wiped his mouth.
“There was a body.”
“Whose?”
“A man who died in the fire.”
“And you let me believe it was Matteo.”
“Yes.”
Luca hit him again.
This time Elena stepped forward.
“Luca.”
It was the first time she had used his first name.
He stopped.
Julian looked at her.
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t for you.”
She looked at Luca.
“If you hurt him so badly he can’t talk, we learn nothing.”
Marco raised an eyebrow.
Luca stared at Elena.
Then released Julian.
“Talk.”
Julian slowly sat.
“Your father discovered something before he died.”
“What?”
“That someone inside the organization was trafficking information to Gabriel Voss.”
Luca glanced at the paper.
“Who?”
“I didn’t know then.”
“And now?”
“I know more.”
“Stop answering questions with riddles.”
Julian looked exhausted.
“Antonio planned to expose the traitor. The traitor learned about it first.”
“My father was killed.”
“Yes.”
“Matteo?”
“Witnessed part of it.”
Luca went still.
“Who killed my father?”
“I never saw the shooter.”
“Convenient.”
“I saw enough to know Matteo was next.”
“So you made him disappear.”
“Yes.”
“Without telling me.”
Julian looked directly at him.
“Because I didn’t know whether I could trust you.”
The room went silent.
Luca’s voice dropped.
“You thought I killed my father?”
“No. But you were surrounded by people who could hear every word you said. Your phones, drivers, accountants, guards. Someone had gotten close enough to know Antonio’s movements.”
“So you hid Matteo.”
“He asked me to.”
Luca stared.
“He chose this?”
“At first.”
“At first?”
Julian looked away.
“What happened later?”
“No.”
Luca’s temper flared.
“No?”
“There are things I promised Matteo I would never tell you unless he chose to come back.”
“My brother is alive.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t get to decide what I know.”
“Neither do you.”
Luca stepped toward him again.
Elena moved between them.
“Enough.”
Both men stared at her.
“This isn’t helping.”
Julian gave a bitter laugh.
“The housekeeper is mediating Valente family disputes now?”
Elena turned.
“The housekeeper’s daughter found the evidence you failed to keep in your pocket, so maybe don’t get arrogant.”
Marco coughed into his hand.
It sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
Julian looked at Elena differently after that.
“You’re right.”
She hadn’t expected the concession.
Luca hadn’t either.
Julian reached into his jacket slowly.
Marco immediately raised his weapon.
“Relax.”
Julian removed a key.
He placed it on the desk.
“Brooklyn. Pier 19. Storage unit 417.”
“What’s there?”
“Everything I collected during the first five years.”
“Why only five?”
“Because someone found out I was investigating.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
Luca stared at the key.
Julian continued.
“That’s when Daniel disappeared for real. Not dead. Hiding.”
“And Matteo?”
“Moved somewhere even I couldn’t reach easily.”
Luca picked up the key.
“You’re coming.”
“No.”
“You think you have a choice?”
Julian looked toward Elena.
“Don’t bring her.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“And keep Mia inside.”
Elena’s stomach tightened.
“Why?”
Julian looked at her.
“Because whoever searched your apartment knows she took the paper.”
“Whoever?”
“I told you. It wasn’t me.”
“Then who?”
Julian’s eyes moved toward Luca.
“The person I’ve been trying to identify for ten years.”
Two hours later, Luca, Marco, Julian, and four guards arrived at Pier 19.
The storage facility looked abandoned.
Unit 417 was on the second floor.
Julian unlocked it.
Inside were boxes.
Photographs.
Ledgers.
Old phones.
A wall covered with names and dates.
Luca stepped inside.
His father’s photograph occupied the center.
Lines connected Antonio to dozens of people.
One line led to Gabriel Voss.
Another to Daniel Mella.
Another to Matteo.
And one thick red line led to a name Luca recognized immediately.
Victor Salvi.
Luca’s godfather.
His father’s oldest friend.
The man who had helped Luca take control after Antonio’s death.
Luca stared at Julian.
“You suspected Victor?”
“I suspected everyone.”
Marco opened a box.
“Boss.”
Inside were surveillance photographs.
Victor meeting men connected to Voss.
Victor entering a bank.
Victor talking to Daniel.
Luca’s phone rang.
Elena.
He answered immediately.
“What happened?”
Her breathing was fast.
“Luca, Mia’s gone.”
Everything inside him stopped.
“What?”
“I turned around for maybe thirty seconds. Rosa thought she was with me. The back service door is open.”
Luca looked at Julian.
Julian’s face changed.
“Luca?”
Elena was crying now.
“Someone took my baby.”
Julian whispered, “No.”
Luca grabbed him by the collar.
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know something.”
Julian stared at the evidence surrounding them.
Then his phone vibrated.
A message.
He looked down.
The color drained from his face.
Luca ripped the phone from his hand.
There was a photograph on the screen.
Mia.
Still wearing her little black suit.
Sitting in the back seat of a car.
Underneath were six words.
BRING THE PAPER OR SHE DISAPPEARS TOO.