Chapter 30 - A Ghost from the Past
|
The police deemed the explosion an act of domestic terrorism. Federal investigators swarmed the site, collecting debris and interviewing witnesses.
We retreated to the heavily fortified mansion. Luca transformed the library into a tactical command center. He hadn't slept in two days, coordinating with private mercenaries and federal contacts to track Vivian down.
She had seemingly vanished into thin air.
On the third day, my mother walked into the library, looking exhausted and carrying a thick, unmarked manila envelope.
“This was delivered to the service entrance,” Eleanor said, placing it on the desk. “The guard said a courier dropped it off and ran.”
Luca immediately put on a pair of black gloves, wary of poison or chemical agents, and carefully opened the envelope. Inside was a single, cheap prepaid cell phone and a folded piece of paper.
He unfolded the paper. There was no message, just a single, chilling photograph.
It was a picture of Derek.
My abusive ex-husband. The man who had terrorized me, who had tried to claim Grace as his own, and who was supposed to be securely locked away in a federal penitentiary awaiting final sentencing.
In the photograph, Derek was wearing a civilian suit, standing outside a familiar-looking coffee shop in Manhattan, smiling arrogantly at the camera.
“He’s out,” I whispered, all the blood draining from my face. “How is he out?”
“Vivian,” Luca realized, his jaw clenching tightly. “She must have used her cartel connections and dark money to bribe a federal judge or manipulate the parole board. She secured his release.”
The prepaid phone suddenly began to ring on the desk, vibrating loudly against the wood.
Luca picked it up and hit the speaker button.
“Hello, Luca,” Derek’s familiar, repulsive voice oozed through the speaker. “Miss me?”
“If you come anywhere near my wife or my daughter, Derek, I will personally rip your spine out,” Luca promised, his voice devoid of any emotion.
Derek laughed, a nasty, grating sound.
“I don't want your wife, Luca. And I don't care about the kid anymore,” Derek replied. “But I do care about the five million dollars Vivian offered me to be her proxy in this city. She knows she can't operate in the open anymore. But I can.”
May you like
“What do you want?” I demanded, unable to stay silent.
“Emma! Darling,” Derek mocked. “So good to hear your voice. Vivian has a very simple proposition. She wants the signature on the trust documents by midnight tonight. If she doesn't get it, the explosion at the housing project is going to look like a sparkler compared to what I have planned for your precious mother’s house.”
