Chapter 6 - THE SECRET HIDDEN IN LEO'S NAME
Megan stepped between Vittorio and Leo before she realized she had moved.
“No.”
Vittorio DeLuca's smile barely changed.
“I haven't asked for anything yet.”
“You don't need to.”
Thomas moved beside Megan.
Roman remained several feet away, gun raised toward the father he had mourned for six years.
Rain struck the windows.
No one outside moved.
That bothered Roman.
His people should have been approaching.
Nico should have been in his ear.
Instead there was only static.
Vittorio noticed Roman touching his earpiece.
“You won't reach Nicholas.”
Roman's eyes sharpened.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing permanent.”
“If he's hurt—”
“You've become predictable.”
Roman's voice lowered.
“People usually say that shortly before regretting it.”
Vittorio smiled.
“There is my son.”
Megan pulled Leo farther behind her.
“Why do you want him?”
Vittorio looked at Thomas.
“Tell her.”
Thomas said nothing.
“Thomas.”
“Don't.”
Megan turned toward him.
“What aren't you telling me now?”
Thomas looked miserable.
Vittorio chuckled.
“You see, Roman? Everyone lies for love eventually.”
Roman didn't look at him.
“Thomas.”
Thomas lowered his gun slightly.
“When I worked with Vale, I copied everything.”
Megan waited.
“Everything what?”
“Vittorio's private archive.”
Vittorio corrected him.
“Our archive.”
Thomas ignored him.
“Bank accounts. Politicians. payoffs. judges. port schedules. shell companies. Every secret Vale collected.”
Roman understood first.
“You stole the ledger.”
“Not a ledger.”
Thomas looked toward Leo.
“A digital key.”
Megan's stomach tightened.
“No.”
Thomas's eyes closed.
“I couldn't keep it on me. I couldn't leave it somewhere Vittorio might find.”
“What did you do?”
“Megan—”
“What did you do to our son?”
“Nothing.”
Vittorio laughed softly.
Megan looked at him.
“Then why does he care about Leo?”
Thomas swallowed.
“When Leo was born, the hospital stored cord blood.”
Megan stared.
“I remember.”
“I added something to the preservation container before it was sealed.”
Roman frowned.
“A drive?”
“Micro-storage capsule.”
Megan's face drained.
“You hid criminal evidence in our son's medical storage?”
“It was the safest place I knew.”
“He was a newborn!”
“I never thought anyone would find out.”
Vittorio's eyes became cold.
“But someone did.”
Roman looked at his father.
“David.”
“Eventually.”
Vittorio walked toward the fireplace.
“Thomas made the encryption key personal. He believed sentimentality was security.”
Thomas looked ashamed.
Roman asked, “What's the key?”
Thomas said nothing.
Vittorio smiled at Megan.
“Leonard Thomas Parker.”
Megan's confusion deepened.
“That is Leo's full name.”
“Precisely.”
Thomas finally said, “The decryption system uses his legal name, birth date, and a biological marker.”
Roman stared.
“You need his DNA.”
“Yes.”
Megan's arms tightened around Leo.
Vittorio said gently, “No one needs to hurt him.”
“Stop talking about my son.”
“I understand you're frightened.”
“You understand nothing.”
“I understand being a parent.”
Roman laughed once.
Everyone looked at him.
“No, you don't.”
Vittorio's eyes hardened.
Roman stepped closer.
“A parent doesn't trade his son for immunity.”
Something dangerous passed between them.
Vittorio's voice cooled.
“You saw Thomas's documents.”
“Yes.”
“They were incomplete.”
“Convenient.”
“They always are.”
Roman raised the gun again.
“Call your men off.”
“I will.”
“Now.”
“When I have the archive.”
Megan looked at Thomas.
“Where is the cord blood?”
“Northwestern storage facility.”
Vittorio smiled.
“No longer.”
Thomas turned sharply.
“What?”
Vittorio removed a small silver case from inside his coat.
Thomas went pale.
“No.”
Megan understood.
“You already have it.”
“Obtained this afternoon.”
“How?”
“David.”
Thomas looked furious.
“He wasn't working for me anymore.”
Vittorio's smile vanished.
“David works for whoever frightens him most.”
Roman asked, “Then why do you need Leo?”
“The biological marker.”
Megan backed away.
“No.”
Vittorio sighed.
“A cheek swab would be sufficient.”
“No.”
“Megan.”
“Do not say my name.”
Vittorio looked at Roman.
“Explain to her.”
Roman stared at his father.
“You came to the wrong person if you expected help.”
Vittorio seemed almost disappointed.
“You would destroy everything our family built for a waitress and a child you met tonight?”
Roman's answer came without hesitation.
“Yes.”
Megan looked at him.
Roman didn't look back.
Vittorio's face changed.
Not anger.
Something closer to contempt.
“That weakness is why I prepared another heir.”
Roman became completely still.
Thomas whispered, “Don't.”
Vittorio smiled.
Roman slowly turned toward Thomas.
“What does that mean?”
Thomas said nothing.
Vittorio enjoyed the silence.
“My son thinks he is the only DeLuca.”
Megan looked at Roman.
His face had gone blank.
“Who?”
Vittorio looked toward the doorway.
A man entered.
Late thirties.
Dark hair.
Gray eyes.
The resemblance was subtle at first.
Then unmistakable.
Roman's jawline.
Vittorio's eyes.
The man's gun was aimed at Thomas.
Roman stared.
Vittorio said, “Roman, meet your brother.”
No one moved.
The newcomer looked Roman over.
“I've heard a lot about you.”
Roman's voice was flat.
“Name.”
“Adrian.”
“Elena's son?”
Vittorio almost laughed.
“No.”
Roman looked at his father.
“My mother knows?”
“She suspected.”
Something in Roman seemed to crack, though he showed almost nothing.
Adrian stepped closer.
“For what it's worth, I didn't ask for this introduction either.”
“Then leave.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
Adrian glanced toward Leo.
“Because I need the archive too.”
Thomas raised his gun toward him.
“You'll have to go through me.”
Adrian's expression hardened.
“That won't be difficult.”
Megan noticed something.
A tiny movement.
Adrian's left eye flicked toward the hall.
Then toward Roman.
Warning.
Roman noticed too.
A second later the front windows shattered.
Nico's men fired from outside.
Roman grabbed Megan.
“Down!”
Gunfire erupted through the house.
Thomas pulled Leo behind the stone fireplace.
Vittorio disappeared through a side door.
Adrian fired—not at Roman, but at one of Vittorio's own men entering from the hall.
The man dropped.
Roman stared at him.
Adrian shouted, “You can hate me later!”
Nico burst through the library doors.
Blood ran down his temple.
“Boss!”
Roman pushed Megan and Leo toward him.
“Get them out.”
Thomas protested.
“I'm coming.”
Roman grabbed his collar.
“You've failed at protecting your family for four years. Let someone else try for five minutes.”
Thomas's face twisted.
He almost hit Roman.
Megan stepped between them.
“Not now!”
Another burst of gunfire ripped through the ceiling.
They ran through a rear hallway.
Nico led them down servant stairs toward the garage.
Adrian followed.
Roman spun.
“Why are you here?”
“To stop him.”
“Your father?”
“Our father.”
Roman's expression chilled.
“Don't call him that.”
Adrian almost smiled.
“Fine.”
They reached the garage.
Two SUVs waited.
Nico opened the first.
“Megan, Leo, inside.”
Thomas climbed in.
Roman did not.
Megan stopped.
“What are you doing?”
“Vittorio still has the storage case.”
“Let him have it.”
“He only needs Leo now.”
Megan understood.
The danger would never end.
Thomas said, “We can destroy the biological key.”
“How?”
“Leo's marker isn't just DNA.”
Roman looked at him.
“What else?”
“A password generated from his original birth record.”
Megan frowned.
“The birth certificate?”
Thomas nodded.
“Only I know the phrase connected to it.”
“Then Vittorio needs you too.”
“Yes.”
A distant engine roared.
Adrian looked outside.
“Too late.”
A black car shot down the driveway.
Vittorio escaping.
Roman raised his gun but didn't fire.
Megan grabbed his arm.
“Don't.”
He looked at her.
“Leo is safe right now.”
“For how long?”
“We stop this together.”
Roman stared at her.
Thomas stared too.
Megan turned toward her husband.
“That does not mean I forgive you.”
Thomas nodded slowly.
“I know.”
They drove back toward Chicago.
For twenty minutes, nobody spoke.
Then Leo fell asleep against Megan.
Thomas watched him from across the vehicle.
Tears filled his eyes.
He reached toward the boy.
Megan stopped his hand.
“Not yet.”
Thomas withdrew it.
“I understand.”
Roman's phone rang.
Nico answered.
His expression changed.
“What?”
He handed the phone to Roman.
Roman listened.
Then his entire body went still.
“When?”
Pause.
“Who was with her?”
Megan's stomach tightened.
Roman ended the call.
“What happened?”
He looked toward the dark road ahead.
“My mother is gone.”
“Elena?”
“She left the mansion during the attack.”
Thomas frowned.
“Why?”
Roman opened a message that had just arrived.
A photograph showed Elena sitting beside Vittorio inside a private aircraft.
She did not appear restrained.
Roman stared at it.
Beneath the photograph was a message from his father.
SHE CHOSE ME ONCE.
SHE CHOSE ME AGAIN.
Adrian leaned forward.
Roman looked at him.
“You knew?”
“No.”
Roman grabbed Adrian by the throat.
Nico reached over.
“Boss.”
Adrian didn't fight back.
“I didn't know.”
Roman's grip tightened.
Then Megan's phone buzzed.
A message from Elena.
Only one sentence.
ROMAN MUST NEVER LEARN WHO ORDERED THE ATTACK THAT KILLED THOSE SEVEN PEOPLE.
Roman slowly released Adrian.
Megan stared at the message.
Roman said, “Show me.”
She hesitated.
His eyes lifted.
“Megan.”
She handed him the phone.
Roman read the message twice.
Then Thomas whispered from across the car:
“She's protecting you from the wrong secret.”
Megan turned.
“What does that mean?”
Thomas looked directly at Roman.
“The warehouse fire wasn't ordered by Vittorio.”
Roman's face changed.
“Who ordered it?”
May you like
Thomas answered quietly.
“Your mother.”
