Chapter 9 - THE FATHER LORENZO SHOULD HAVE FEARED
Lorenzo did not sleep.
At sunrise, he stood on the terrace overlooking Long Island Sound while Hunter fed Grace in the room behind him.
Sophia approached slowly.
"You can't go alone."
"I won't."
"He'll know."
"Then he'll know."
"Lorenzo—"
"My father taught me one thing correctly."
Sophia waited.
"He taught me never to obey a man holding a hostage."
She almost smiled.
"You've changed."
"No."
"You have."
Lorenzo looked through the glass at Hunter.
Grace rested against her mother's chest.
The infant looked stronger already.
"Maybe Leo changed me."
Sophia's face tightened.
They still called Lorenzo's biological son Leo out of habit.
Now there were two babies whose identities had been stolen.
Hunter had quietly decided Grace would keep the name she had chosen before birth.
Lorenzo and Sophia would decide later whether their son would remain Leo.
For now, survival mattered more than names.
Mateo arrived with blueprints.
"Council meeting location confirmed."
An abandoned cathedral in northern New Jersey.
Vittorio had used it decades earlier for family ceremonies.
Lorenzo studied the entrances.
"Snipers?"
"Likely."
"Tunnels?"
"Two."
Sophia pointed.
"Marco will expect the south tunnel."
"Then we use both."
The plan developed quickly.
Lorenzo would appear to arrive alone.
Mateo's team would enter beneath the old crypt.
Sophia would remain outside with a second tactical group.
Hunter was ordered to stay at the estate.
This time she didn't argue.
Grace needed her.
But an hour before Lorenzo left, Hunter found something.
She was changing Grace when the baby began fussing.
Hunter noticed a tiny red mark behind her left ear.
Not new.
An old puncture scar.
She called Gallagher.
The doctor examined it.
"Could be from hospital treatment."
"What treatment?"
"Blood sampling. IV."
"Behind the ear?"
Gallagher frowned.
"No."
Hunter's stomach tightened.
"Could someone implant something?"
The doctor stared at her.
"Like what?"
"Tracker."
Gallagher immediately called security.
A scan found a tiny RFID device under Grace's skin.
Mateo nearly exploded when he saw it.
"They've been tracking the baby."
Hunter went cold.
"Since the hospital?"
"Possibly."
Lorenzo looked at the device.
That meant Vittorio might know exactly where Grace had been.
Including the Rossi estate.
"Evacuate."
Sirens screamed through the property.
Staff moved into armored vehicles.
Hunter held Grace.
Sophia grabbed documents.
Then the first explosion hit the front gate.
The entire mansion shook.
"They're here!" a guard shouted.
Gunfire followed.
Lorenzo drew his weapon.
"Get Hunter underground."
Mateo moved toward the security monitors.
Three SUVs had breached the outer entrance.
Another team was approaching from the water.
The council meeting had been a distraction.
Vittorio never expected Lorenzo to arrive tomorrow.
He planned to destroy the estate tonight.
Hunter ran toward the safe corridor.
Sophia followed.
Smoke spread through the west hall.
A guard dropped after being shot.
Hunter screamed.
Sophia pulled her down.
"Keep moving!"
They reached the underground passage.
Then the lights died.
Emergency red illumination appeared.
Grace began crying.
Hunter held her close.
"It's okay. Mommy's here."
A man stepped from the darkness.
Marco DeMarco.
Gun raised.
Sophia froze.
"Hello."
Hunter backed away.
Marco smiled.
"So that's the wrong baby."
His gaze moved toward Grace.
"Funny how much trouble one little mistake created."
Sophia positioned herself between Marco and Hunter.
"Where is my son?"
"With Vittorio."
"Alive?"
"For now."
Marco's eyes moved to Hunter.
"You ruined everything."
Hunter stared.
"Me?"
"That baby should have died quietly."
His casual tone filled her with rage.
"You poisoned her."
"No."
Marco smiled.
"That was Vittorio."
Hunter looked at Sophia.
Marco continued.
"I wanted the baby alive. A fake Rossi heir was useful."
"Then why demand Lorenzo's empire?"
"Because opportunities evolve."
Footsteps sounded above.
Marco raised his gun.
"Move."
He forced them deeper into the tunnels.
Hunter whispered to Sophia.
"Does Lorenzo know this passage?"
"Yes."
Marco laughed.
"He does."
He pointed forward.
"That's why we're not staying."
They emerged near the cliffs behind the estate.
A speedboat waited below.
Two armed men stood beside it.
Marco gestured.
"Get in."
Hunter tightened her hold on Grace.
"No."
Marco aimed at Sophia.
"Then she dies."
Hunter moved.
Before they reached the boat, headlights appeared behind them.
Lorenzo's SUV came screaming across the lawn.
Marco fired.
The windshield shattered.
Lorenzo crashed through a stone barrier and exited with his gun raised.
"Let them go."
Marco dragged Sophia against him.
Gun to her head.
Hunter stood three feet away holding Grace.
"You always did think everything belonged to you," Marco shouted.
Lorenzo moved closer.
"My wife isn't yours."
"I wasn't talking about Sophia."
Marco looked at Hunter.
Lorenzo followed his gaze.
Something about the way Marco looked at her made Hunter's stomach drop.
Marco smiled.
"She really never told you?"
"Told me what?" Lorenzo asked.
Marco laughed.
Then looked directly at Hunter.
"Ask her who Grace's father is."
Hunter went completely still.
Lorenzo's eyes moved toward her.
Hunter couldn't breathe.
Marco's smile widened.
"Go ahead, Hunter."
His voice became almost gentle.
"Tell Lorenzo what happened nine months ago in that hotel in Boston."
Sophia stared at Hunter.
Hunter's face drained.
May you like
Because she knew exactly what Marco was talking about.
And until that moment, she had believed the man from Boston had been a stranger.
