Chapter 5 - THE GRAVE WITH NO NAMEThe abandoned church smelled of wet stone and old smoke.
Luca entered first.
His gun was hidden beneath his coat.
Elena followed.
She looked as though every step cost her something.
Matteo had wanted to come.
Luca refused.
The voice had demanded they come alone.
At the center of the chapel stood a wooden chair.
Empty.
A candle burned beside it.
Luca stopped.
“Show yourself.”
The silence stretched.
Then a projector flickered on.
Images appeared across the wall.
Adrian.
Elena.
Nora.
Luca's mother.
Harland.
Luca watched without blinking.
The footage showed Adrian carrying baby Nora into a house.
Then Harland entering behind him.
Then Adrian arguing with someone.
The image froze.
A caption appeared.
THREE YEARS AGO.
Elena's breathing became shallow.
Luca looked at her.
“You were there.”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“I tried to stop him.”
“Stop who?”
“Harland.”
Luca stepped closer.
“Tell me everything.”
Elena finally broke.
“Adrian discovered that Harland wanted Nora.”
“Why?”
“She was proof.”
“Proof of what?”
“Adrian had access to financial records. He copied everything before they could destroy it.”
Luca waited.
“Nora was the only living witness to where he hid the original records.”
Luca frowned.
“She was three months old.”
“She saw something.”
Luca's expression changed.
“She's three.”
“She was there when Adrian hid the files.”
“Where?”
Elena shook her head.
“He never told me.”
A metallic click echoed behind them.
Luca turned.
A gunman stood in the balcony.
Then another.
Elena gasped.
“Down!”
Shots exploded through the chapel.
Luca pulled Elena behind a stone pillar.
Bullets struck wood.
Glass shattered.
They ran through the side door.
Outside, rain crashed down.
Luca dragged Elena behind the cemetery wall.
“Where?”
“What?”
“The grave.”
Elena stared.
“What grave?”
“The one you supposedly know about.”
Her eyes widened.
“He's there.”
“Who?”
She pointed.
“Adrian.”
Luca followed her finger.
At the far end of the cemetery stood a single grave.
No name.
Only a date.
Three years ago.
Luca ran.
He reached the grave.
The stone was wet.
Freshly disturbed.
He dropped to his knees.
The dirt was loose.
“He wasn't buried here.”
Elena whispered.
“How do you know?”
“Because the soil is too recent.”
Luca dug with his hands.
His fingers hit metal.
A box.
He pulled it free.
Inside was a flash drive.
And a photograph of Nora.
On the back:
SHE REMEMBERS.
Elena came closer.
“What does that mean?”
A voice answered from behind them.
“It means she's the only one who can find the money.”
Luca froze.
He turned.
A man stood under an umbrella.
Gray hair.
Dark coat.
A face Luca had known since childhood.
Charles Harland.
Luca raised his gun.
Harland smiled.
“Still the same impulsive boy.”
“You kidnapped my niece.”
Harland's expression softened.
“No.”
He looked at Elena.
“Her mother did.”
Elena went pale.
“Don't.”
Harland continued.
“Tell him.”
Luca looked at Elena.
“Tell me what?”
Harland smiled.
“You've spent years protecting a secret that isn't yours.”
Then he stepped backward.
Before disappearing into the rain, he said:
“Ask Elena why Adrian believed Nora was safer with him than with her.”
Luca turned toward Elena.
Her face had collapsed.
“What did he mean?”
She whispered:
“I betrayed Adrian.”
Luca stared.
“What did you do?”
Elena closed her eyes.
“I told Harland where Adrian was hiding.”
Luca's gun lowered.
“And then?”
“I thought they would arrest him.”
“Not kill him?”
“I didn't know what they would do.”
“You led them to him.”
“I was trying to save Nora.”
“And Adrian?”
Elena's tears fell.
“He was already gone when I got there.”
“Gone where?”
She shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Luca stared at her.
Then the flash drive in his hand vibrated.
A light appeared.
It had connected automatically to a hidden file.
A video.
Adrian's face appeared on the screen.
He looked directly into the camera.
“Luca.”
Luca stopped breathing.
“If you're watching this, Elena has finally told you the truth.”
Luca looked at Elena.
Adrian continued.
“But she doesn't know the whole truth.”
The screen went black.
May you like
Then one final message appeared.
LUCA, YOU ARE THE REASON I DISAPPEARED.
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