Chapter 7 - Luca Moretti Came Running
The man below took one step toward us.
“Ms. Carter, nobody needs to get hurt.”
“That usually means someone plans to hurt you,” Evelyn said.
She grabbed a red fire extinguisher from the wall.
I pulled the twins behind me.
The first man came down from above.
“Hand over the folder,” he said.
Evelyn laughed once. “You broke into a home with two children for paperwork?”
“Last warning.”
She pulled the pin.
White chemical powder exploded across the stairwell.
The man cursed. We ran past him, coughing, dragging the twins toward the garage.
A black SUV tore around the corner.
For one second I thought we had made the worst mistake possible.
Then Luca jumped out before the vehicle fully stopped.
He was not wearing a jacket now. His hair was wet. His face looked murderous.
Two security officers moved past him and tackled the man chasing us.
Luca came straight to the twins.
“Are they hurt?”
“They’re scared,” I snapped. “Because someone has been watching my children.”
His eyes lifted to mine. “I know.”
“What do you mean, you know?”
He held up his phone. “My security chief traced the men’s vehicle.”
Evelyn stepped closer. “Victor?”
Luca’s jaw tightened.
“The car is registered to a shell company used by Moretti Global’s executive protection division.”
I stared at him.
“So your own people came after us?”
“People Victor controls.”
Police sirens echoed into the garage.
Micah clung to my coat. Mila watched Luca with frightened curiosity.
Then Micah asked the question no adult was ready for.
“Why does that man care if we’re okay?”
Luca froze.
I felt every eye turn toward me.
Not here, I thought.
Not like this.
Before I could answer, one of Luca’s security officers approached holding a phone taken from the captured man.
“Mr. Moretti,” he said, “you need to see the last message he received.”
Luca read it.
His face changed.
He handed me the screen.
GET THE CARTER CHILDREN BEFORE DNA IS COLLECTED.
May you like
Underneath were two words.
AUTHORIZED: V. DANE.
