Chapter 3 - Luca Came Home Bleeding
The emergency lights flickered on.
Luca Valente stood at the end of the hall.
Blood soaked the left side of his shirt.
A pistol hung loosely from his hand.
He looked less angry than I had ever seen him.
That was worse.
The man nearest Mia froze.
Luca said:
“Move away from the child.”
He did.
Immediately.
The second man released my arm.
For half a second, I thought they might surrender.
Then somebody reached beneath his jacket.
The next moments happened too fast for me to understand cleanly.
A struggle.
A shot into the ceiling.
One man ran.
The other went down after Luca’s security team stormed the stairs behind him.
Mia ran straight to Luca.
I expected him to push her toward a guard.
Instead he crouched despite the blood on his shirt.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
“Mommy got taken.”
“I see that.”
Mia lifted the yellow duck.
Luca touched the top of her head.
Then looked at me.
“What happened?”
Before I could answer, Julian came around the corner.
“Luca.”
Relief crossed his face.
Real relief, I thought.
He saw the blood.
“What happened in Brooklyn?”
Luca stood.
“Route was compromised.”
Julian’s expression sharpened.
“Which route?”
“The private one.”
For one moment, nobody spoke.
Luca looked at the man restrained on the carpet.
Then at me.
Then at Mia.
“Two attacks in one night.”
Julian said:
“Not two.”
Luca turned.
“One.”
That sentence stayed with me.
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Because while everyone else began searching the mansion—
Julian looked directly at the yellow duck in Mia’s arms.
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