Chapter 7 - The Husband Behind the Door
I fought Dante's grip.
“Miguel!”
He pulled me behind the wall as his men rushed into the building. Bruno stood between us and the staircase, his massive body rigid, every muscle prepared to attack.
Another gunshot echoed from below.
Then silence.
Dante spoke into his radio, ordering the lower level secured. Two men descended with flashlights while Victor guided Lily away from the staircase.
I wanted to follow, but Dante held my gaze.
“If he's alive, we'll bring him out. If Antonio is down there, rushing in will only give him another hostage.”
I hated him for being right.
Minutes passed like hours.
Finally, a guard emerged carrying a bloodied man over his shoulder.
Miguel.
I barely recognized him. His hair was longer, his face thinner, and a pale scar crossed his temple. But when he opened his eyes and saw me, the expression was unmistakable.
“Clara.”
I fell beside the stretcher.
“You're alive.”
He tried to smile.
“I was trying to get back to you.”
I struck his chest with both fists, crying so hard I could barely breathe.
“You let me bury you! You let Sophie grow up thinking her father was dead!”
“I know.”
“You let me believe I had no one!”
“I know.”
He didn't defend himself, and somehow that made my anger worse.
Dante ordered the paramedics to stabilize him inside the residence before moving him to a secure hospital. As the medical team worked, Miguel caught my hand.
“Listen to me. Antonio has the archive key.”
I shook my head.
“No. Sophie has the key.”
Miguel's eyes widened.
“Then he knows where the archive is.”
Before I could ask what he meant, the nurse returned with Lily's medical records. She admitted that Antonio had kept the child hidden because she was the only living witness to an incident that could expose the entire operation.
Five years earlier, Elena had discovered that Antonio was using a private clinic to create false identities for people connected to his organization. She stole documents and fled with her newborn daughter.
Antonio's men intercepted her.
Elena survived the attack but disappeared into witness protection. Lily was taken and raised under a false identity.
“Where is Elena now?” I demanded.
The nurse shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Miguel struggled to sit up.
“Clara, there's something I never told you about Elena.”
He looked toward Dante.
Then he whispered, “Your sister didn't disappear because she was afraid.”
He took a shaky breath.
“She disappeared because she was investigating the Moretti family.”
A phone began ringing inside Miguel's coat.
Dante answered it.
A woman's voice spoke through the speaker.
“Tell Clara that if she wants her sister alive, she must bring Sophie to the lighthouse before midnight.”
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Then the caller added one chilling sentence.
“Come alone, or I'll make sure the girls never meet.”
