Chapter 1 - The Smoke Behind the Hedge
Maisie Ellis dropped her yellow crayon and screamed, "Mommy, there's a man in the fire!"
Her mother reached the shed and found Roman Duca's broken black watch beside the door.
Three letters had been scratched into its metal back.
M.E.R.
This was not an accident.
Claire Ellis grabbed her daughter before the little girl could take another step.
"Stay behind me."
Maisie's tiny fingers wrapped around the back of Claire's uniform.
Smoke rolled through the doorway of the old storage shed. Flames crawled along the shelves and climbed toward the rafters.
And in the middle of it sat Roman Duca.
His wrists were tied behind a wooden support post. Thick rope crossed his chest. His expensive black shirt was soaked through, his hair plastered against his forehead.
The man who controlled half the city's most dangerous businesses could barely lift his head.
"Roman!"
His eyes opened.
For one second, surprise crossed his face.
Then fear.
Not fear for himself.
For them.
"Take the girl and run."
Claire stared at him.
"What happened?"
"Run."
A beam cracked overhead.
Claire pulled Maisie farther back.
She should have listened.
She was a housekeeper.
Roman Duca was her employer.
Whatever enemies he had made belonged to a world Claire had spent four years deliberately ignoring.
But she looked at the three-year-old clutching her dress.
Maisie had found him.
If Claire walked away now, Roman would die knowing a child had been close enough to save him.
"Maisie, go behind the stone wall."
"No."
"Baby, please."
Maisie's lower lip trembled.
Claire pointed.
"Stay where Mommy can see you."
The child finally ran.
Claire grabbed a garden shovel leaning against the shed.
"Claire!"
She stepped inside.
Heat struck her face.
She dropped low and crawled across the wet floor.
Someone had soaked part of Roman's clothing with water before tying him down. That was why he hadn't burned yet.
The realization chilled her more than the fire.
This had been planned.
Whoever did this wanted enough time to disappear before Roman died.
Claire swung the shovel against the rope.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Roman twisted his shoulders.
"Left side."
"What?"
"The knot."
She moved.
Smoke filled her lungs.
She hacked at the rope until fibers snapped.
Roman tore one arm free.
A burning board fell.
He shoved Claire aside.
The board crashed where her head had been.
Roman pulled himself loose.
"Move."
They stumbled outside together.
Maisie came running.
Roman dropped to one knee.
For perhaps the first time since Claire had known him, Roman Duca looked helpless.
Maisie touched his cheek.
"You got burned."
Roman looked at her small hand.
"I'm okay."
"No, you're not."
Despite everything, Claire nearly laughed.
Roman didn't.
His gaze had moved toward the mansion.
The enormous stone house stood beyond the garden.
Twenty-three people were inside.
Family.
Employees.
Security.
And not one of them had come running.
Claire noticed it too.
"Why hasn't anyone seen the smoke?"
Roman slowly stood.
"Because the cameras were disabled."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
He touched his empty wrist.
Claire showed him the broken watch.
His expression hardened when he saw the scratches.
"M.E.R.," Claire said. "What does it mean?"
Roman closed his hand around it.
"Nothing."
"That didn't look like nothing."
"Take Maisie home."
"I live here."
Roman looked at her.
Claire occupied a small apartment in the service wing because her husband had died two years earlier, leaving her with debts she couldn't pay.
Roman had given her work.
A home.
Privacy.
He had never asked questions.
Now Claire wondered whether that kindness had made her blind.
Roman glanced toward the mansion again.
"Then take her to your room. Lock the door."
"What are you going to do?"
"Walk through my front door."
"Like that?"
Roman looked down at his burned, soaked clothes.
"Especially like this."
Claire caught his arm.
"Someone tried to murder you."
"Exactly."
"And you're going back to the people who may have done it?"
Roman leaned closer.
"I want to see who looks disappointed."
They entered separately.
Claire used the servants' entrance.
Roman went around the front.
She carried Maisie upstairs.
Halfway down the corridor, voices erupted below.
"Roman?"
"Dear God!"
"What happened?"
Claire recognized Roman's younger brother, Matteo.
Then Elena Duca, Roman's aunt.
Then Victor Hale, Roman's longtime security chief.
Everyone sounded shocked.
Claire reached her room.
Maisie whispered, "Mommy?"
"Yes?"
"The bad man saw us."
Claire stopped.
"What bad man?"
"The one at the fire."
Claire knelt.
"There was someone else?"
Maisie nodded.
"Where?"
"Behind the trees."
"What did he look like?"
The child struggled.
"Black coat."
Everyone in Roman's house wore black.
"Anything else?"
Maisie thought hard.
"He had a shiny hand."
Claire's stomach tightened.
"A ring?"
Maisie nodded.
"Big one."
Claire knew someone in the house who wore a large silver signet ring every day.
Victor Hale.
Roman's security chief.
Claire locked the bedroom door.
She turned.
An envelope lay on her bed.
It had not been there that morning.
Her name was written across it.
CLAIRE ELLIS.
She opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
Roman stood beside Claire's late husband, Daniel.
The picture had been taken years before Claire ever met Roman.
On the back were six words.
DANIEL DID NOT DIE BY ACCIDENT.
Claire's knees weakened.
A second note slipped from the envelope.
IF ROMAN SURVIVES, ASK HIM ABOUT MERCER.
Mercer.
M.E.R.
The letters on the watch.
Someone knocked.
Claire froze.
"Who is it?"
No answer.
Maisie crawled beneath the blanket.
Another knock.
Three slow taps.
Claire approached the door.
A man's voice came from the hallway.
"Mrs. Ellis?"
It was Victor.
Claire said nothing.
"I know you're in there."
Her eyes fell to the photograph in her hand.
Victor tried the handle.
Locked.
Then he spoke softly.
"Roman shouldn't have survived that shed."
Claire stopped breathing.
Victor continued.
May you like
"And neither should the person who found him."
The doorknob slowly began to turn...
