Chapter 11 - The Man Who Bought Every JarDante Had Been Lying To Me Since The First Morning
We escaped through a tunnel beneath the warehouse.
Dante kept one hand on my shoulder.
I was furious.
"Stop."
He didn't.
"Stop!"
He finally turned.
"You lied to me."
"Yes."
"You knew Marco was involved."
"I suspected."
"You suspected?"
"I've suspected him for months."
"Then why bring him?"
"Because I needed him close."
"You used me."
Dante looked at me.
"Yes."
I slapped him.
The sound echoed through the tunnel.
He didn't react.
"I needed to know who was watching you."
"Was it worth it?"
"No."
His answer came too quickly.
That frightened me.
"Why?"
"Because every day I told myself I was protecting you."
He looked down.
"Every day I knew I was turning you into bait."
I stepped backward.
Then footsteps sounded behind us.
Dante pushed me against the wall.
"Quiet."
Marco's voice echoed.
"Dante."
Dante raised his gun.
"Keep walking."
Marco appeared.
He was alone.
"Where's Lily?"
Marco stopped.
"I got her out."
Dante frowned.
"What?"
"I betrayed Salvatore."
I stared.
"You said he sold us out."
Marco shook his head.
"I wanted him to think I did."
He handed Dante a phone.
A video played.
Lily was inside a vehicle.
Alive.
Safe.
"Where is she?"
"With someone Salvatore doesn't know."
"Who?"
Marco looked at me.
"Your mother's sister."
I blinked.
"My mother had a sister?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"Ohio."
Dante looked at the phone.
"Why help us?"
Marco hesitated.
"Because Sofia asked me."
Sofia stepped from the shadows.
Alive.
Dante stared.
"How?"
"She escaped."
I ran to her.
"What about Lily?"
"Safe."
Relief hit so hard my knees nearly gave out.
Sofia held me.
Then she whispered.
"There's one thing we haven't told you."
"What?"
She looked at Dante.
Dante nodded.
Sofia turned back to me.
"Your father didn't hide the ledger."
"What?"
"He destroyed it."
"Then what's the key for?"
"Not a ledger."
"What?"
Sofia took the brass key from Dante.
"It opens a vault."
"Where?"
"My father's old estate."
I frowned.
"Your family estate?"
"No."
"Whose?"
She looked at Dante.
"Yours."
My blood ran cold.
"My farm?"
Sofia nodded.
"Under the barn."
I stared.
"The barn was searched."
"Yes."
"But they didn't find anything."
"Because the vault isn't under the floor."
"Then where?"
Sofia pointed toward the ruined bee yard.
"Under the oldest hive."
We returned at dawn.
The hives were frozen.
Dante knelt beside the oldest box.
He lifted it.
Nothing.
He removed the base.
A steel hatch appeared beneath the soil.
My father's handiwork.
We opened it.
A ladder descended into darkness.
At the bottom was a small room.
No money.
No weapons.
Only shelves of honey jars.
Hundreds.
Each labeled with a name.
I picked one.
My father's handwriting.
SOFIA.
Another.
DANTE.
Another.
ELENA.
Another.
LILY.
I turned to Dante.
He looked at the final shelf.
There was one jar.
No name.
Only a date.
The day my father died.
Inside the jar was a folded photograph.
Dante took it out.
We opened it.
It showed my father.
Salvatore.
Marco.
Sofia.
And a fifth man.
Dante stared.
His face went pale.
I whispered.
"Who is that?"
Dante didn't answer.
Marco did.
"Your father."
I looked at him.
"What?"
Marco shook his head.
"Not your father's brother."
He pointed.
"Your father."
I looked at the photograph again.
There were two identical men.
Twins.
One was my father.
May you like
The other was Salvatore.
My whole life had been built on a lie.
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