Chapter 6 - THE HERO
The mansion locked down before sunset.
Every guard was searched. Every weapon was logged. Every camera feed was copied.
The armory inventory showed twenty-four missing rounds and one missing suppressed rifle.
Dean stood beside Massimo while Marco gave the report.
“You’ve got a leak,” Dean said.
“We’ve got more than that.”
Massimo studied him.
A hero, everyone had said.
Family.
Massimo had believed it.
That night, Carla found Nina under the kitchen table drawing three men with black crayons.
“Who are they?”
“Bad car men.”
Carla’s stomach tightened. “What bad car men?”
Nina pointed to one figure. “Uncle Dean.”
Carla crouched. “Why did you draw Uncle Dean?”
“He was talking to them.”
“When?”
“Before boom day.”
Carla’s breath stopped.
The “boom day” was how Nina referred to the afternoon Massimo was shot. She had been at the mansion with Carla when Dean left that morning.
“Nina, where did you see him?”
“Garage.”
“Who was he talking to?”
Nina shrugged. “Men with bird car.”
She stood too quickly and hit her head on the table.
“Mommy?”
“I’m fine.”
She wasn’t.
Carla found Massimo in the upstairs study.
“Mr. Rinaldi, I need to tell you something.”
He looked up from the security footage. “About?”
“Nina.”
Dean entered behind her.
Carla’s courage vanished so fast it embarrassed her.
Dean smiled. “Everything okay?”
She forced herself to nod. “Laundry issue.”
Massimo watched her carefully.
Dean poured himself a drink. “Whole empire collapsing over towels now?”
Carla lowered her gaze. “Excuse me.”
She left.
Massimo waited ten minutes before telling Marco, “Follow her. Quietly.”
In the staff corridor, Carla found a folded note pushed beneath her bedroom door.
There were only six words written inside.
KEEP YOUR CHILD OUT OF THIS.
May you like
Carla’s knees nearly gave out.
Behind her, a floorboard creaked.
