Chapter 2 - THE TWINS MY BROTHER NEVER TOLD ME ABOUT
Luca Vance had two newborn daughters.
And he had never told me they existed.
I stood beside the nursery window watching Sofia and Lucia sleep while anger crawled through me.
Not because Luca had a relationship with Anna.
Because he had hidden children from me while bringing their mother into a war he clearly couldn’t control.
Marco entered quietly.
“We found Luca.”
I turned.
“Where?”
“Saint Agnes Hospital.”
My chest tightened.
“Injured?”
“Badly.”
Twenty minutes later, I was in the armored SUV heading toward the city.
The storm had weakened, but streets were still buried beneath snow.
At Saint Agnes, two detectives were standing outside Luca’s room.
That surprised me.
Even more surprising was the man sitting beside the door.
Federal agent Daniel Reeves.
We had met once before.
Neither of us enjoyed it.
“Vance.”
“Reeves.”
He stood.
“Your brother was found near the river.”
“What happened?”
“He was shot.”
My jaw tightened.
“By whom?”
“We’re investigating.”
I looked through the glass.
Luca lay unconscious beneath white blankets.
Bandages covered his shoulder.
Blood had soaked through one.
Reeves lowered his voice.
“He was carrying something.”
He handed me an evidence photograph.
A flash drive.
On it, one word had been written.
ANNA.
“What’s inside?”
“Encrypted files.”
I looked at him.
“You want something from me.”
“I want the truth.”
“That makes two of us.”
Reeves studied me.
Then said, “Matteo Morelli has been under federal investigation for trafficking, extortion, and money laundering.”
My expression hardened.
“Trafficking?”
“Yes.”
I thought about Anna’s back.
The whip marks.
The terror.
The newborns hidden under her coat.
“Did Luca know?”
Reeves nodded.
“We think he was cooperating.”
I stared.
“My brother was informing for you?”
“Not officially.”
“Then what?”
“He came to us six weeks ago.”
My hands tightened.
“What did he say?”
“That Matteo was using private maternity clinics to move money and control vulnerable women.”
I felt sick.
“He said Anna had proof.”
Reeves continued.
“And that once Matteo learned she was pregnant with Luca’s children, he started planning to kill all three.”
My blood went cold.
“Why not arrest Matteo?”
“We needed evidence tying him directly to the operation.”
“And Luca decided to become a hero?”
Reeves didn’t answer.
I turned toward the hospital room.
My brother had always been reckless.
But he wasn’t stupid.
Something else had forced his hand.
Then Luca moved.
His eyes opened.
I entered.
He looked toward me.
“Elias.”
I stopped beside the bed.
“You idiot.”
A weak smile.
“Good to see you too.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
His smile disappeared.
“About Anna?”
“About my nieces.”
His eyes filled.
“I couldn’t.”
“You could have told me anything.”
“No.”
His voice became serious.
“Not this.”
“Why?”
Luca looked toward the door.
Then whispered:
“Because someone inside your organization has been feeding Matteo information for years.”
My jaw tightened.
“Who?”
Luca reached weakly toward the bedside table.
His fingers trembled.
May you like
Then he whispered:
“The person you trust most.”
