Chapter 6 - The Woman With the Gun
My mother stood at the end of the corridor with a gun in her hand.
She looked at me.
Then at Elena.
Then at Sophie.
"Nobody move."
Sophie buried her face against Elena's side.
I stepped in front of them.
"Put it down."
My mother shook her head.
"You don't understand."
"I understand enough."
"You don't."
Her hand trembled.
That was the first time I had ever seen my mother hold a weapon.
She had spent her entire life controlling rooms without raising her voice.
Now she looked like someone who had finally run out of places to hide.
Daniel moved beside me.
"Catherine."
She pointed the gun at him.
"Don't."
He stopped.
"You've already taken everything from this family."
"I took nothing."
"You took Roman's father."
Her face tightened.
"I saved him."
I stared at her.
"You locked him beneath our house."
"I kept him alive."
"That's what you call this?"
She looked at me.
"Your father was going to destroy everything."
I shook my head.
"No. He was going to tell me the truth."
She lowered the gun slightly.
"Truth doesn't always save people."
"Neither do lies."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Roman, please."
I had heard that word too many times that night.
Please.
Always after the damage had already been done.
"Where is my father?"
She looked toward the metal door.
"He's alive."
"I know."
"And if you open that door, everything changes."
"Good."
She shook her head.
"You don't know what is behind it."
"My father."
"More than that."
Daniel stepped forward.
"You can't stop him anymore."
My mother looked at him.
"You always thought you were the hero."
"No."
Daniel's voice was quiet.
"I just stopped pretending you were."
She raised the gun again.
"Stay where you are."
I looked at Marcus.
He was standing behind Elena, watching my mother carefully.
His hand was near his phone.
I gave him the smallest nod.
He understood.
My mother looked at Sophie.
Her expression changed.
For one second, she looked less like the woman holding a gun and more like the grandmother I remembered.
Then she whispered:
"Bring her to me."
Elena stepped backward.
"No."
"I won't hurt her."
"You already did."
My mother flinched.
Elena held Sophie tighter.
"She spent three years believing her father was dead."
My mother looked at me.
"I never wanted that."
"Then why did you do it?"
She didn't answer.
I took another step.
"Why did you tell my daughter I was dead?"
"Because if she knew you were alive, she would have led them to you."
"Who?"
My mother looked toward Daniel.
"He knows."
I turned to Daniel.
"Who was coming for me?"
Daniel's expression became grim.
"The people who control the trust."
My mother laughed bitterly.
"Control?"
She looked at him.
"You still don't understand."
"Then explain it."
She lowered the gun.
"The trust isn't money."
I frowned.
"What is it?"
"Evidence."
The word echoed through the corridor.
"What kind of evidence?"
My mother looked at the metal door.
"Evidence that could destroy the D'Angelo family."
I stared at her.
"My grandfather created the trust to expose the family?"
"He created it to protect the people he had harmed."
"Who did he harm?"
She looked at Elena.
"Her."
Elena froze.
"What?"
My mother swallowed.
"Your grandfather knew what was happening before you did."
Daniel shook his head.
"Tell him everything."
My mother closed her eyes.
"I can't."
"You have to."
"I can't."
"You owe him."
She opened her eyes.
"I owe him nothing."
Daniel's face hardened.
"You owe Roman."
My mother looked at me.
Then she lowered the gun completely.
"I made a mistake."
I didn't move.
"What mistake?"
She looked at Sophie.
"Keeping her."
The words were almost inaudible.
Elena stepped forward.
"You didn't keep her."
My mother nodded.
"I know."
"You stole her."
"I know."
"You made me believe my daughter was dead."
"I know."
"You made Roman believe I abandoned him."
"I know."
Elena's voice broke.
"Why?"
My mother looked at me.
"Because your grandfather's final instruction was that Sophie had to disappear."
I felt the blood leave my face.
"My grandfather ordered you to take my daughter?"
"No."
"Then what?"
"He ordered me to protect her."
"From whom?"
My mother looked at Daniel.
"From your father."
I stared at her.
"What?"
Daniel stepped forward.
"She's lying."
My mother pointed the gun at him again.
"You don't know what he became."
"Neither do you."
"Yes, I do."
I looked between them.
"Stop."
They both turned toward me.
"I want one answer."
I pointed toward the metal door.
"Why is my father down here?"
Nobody spoke.
I walked to the door.
My mother raised the gun.
"Roman."
I kept walking.
"Don't."
I put my hand on the metal handle.
"Roman, stop!"
I turned.
My mother was crying.
"Please."
"Why?"
She whispered:
"Because your father is the reason Elena disappeared."
Elena went completely still.
I looked at her.
"Is that true?"
She shook her head.
"No."
My mother said:
"He found her."
Elena's eyes widened.
"That's not what happened."
"He found you in the archive."
"I never met him."
"You did."
"I didn't."
"You just don't remember."
Elena looked confused.
Daniel suddenly stepped between us.
"Enough."
My mother raised the gun.
"Move."
"No."
"Daniel."
"You've lied long enough."
She stared at him.
Then she looked at me.
"Ask Elena what happened the night Sophie disappeared."
Elena's face went pale.
I turned toward my wife.
"Elena?"
She didn't answer.
"Tell me."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I was driving."
"Where?"
"Out of the city."
"With Sophie?"
"Yes."
"What happened?"
She looked at my mother.
"Someone followed us."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"Where did you go?"
"An old warehouse."
"Why?"
"Because I thought I could hide there."
"From whom?"
She shook her head.
"I don't know."
My mother whispered:
"You knew."
Elena looked at her.
"You wanted me to think I knew."
I stared at them.
"What does that mean?"
Elena took a breath.
"Someone had been sending me messages."
"What messages?"
"Coordinates."
I felt a chill.
"Where?"
"Different places."
She looked at Sophie.
"Places connected to your family."
"Why?"
"I thought someone was trying to help me."
"Who?"
"I never knew."
Daniel suddenly looked toward the ceiling.
"What?"
He raised one finger.
"Listen."
Everyone went silent.
A faint mechanical hum came from somewhere above us.
Marcus looked at his phone.
"There's a signal."
"What kind?"
"Camera feed."
He turned the screen toward me.
A security camera had activated.
It showed the corridor we were standing in.
Then another camera.
Then another.
Every camera was turning toward us.
My mother looked up.
"He's watching."
"Who?"
She whispered:
"Your father."
The metal door suddenly unlocked.
Everyone froze.
I heard the mechanism release.
Click.
Then another.
Click.
The handle moved.
I stepped backward.
Daniel whispered:
"Nobody touch it."
The door opened one inch.
Cold air spilled into the corridor.
A man's voice came from inside.
"Roman."
I knew the voice.
My father.
He sounded weak.
Older.
But alive.
"Come alone."
I looked at Elena.
She shook her head.
"No."
My father spoke again.
"If Elena enters, she dies."
Elena's face went white.
I looked toward my mother.
She wasn't surprised.
That frightened me more than the threat.
"Why would he say that?"
My mother whispered:
"Because he knows."
"Knows what?"
She stared at the opening door.
"That Elena was the one who betrayed him."
Elena stepped back.
"That's a lie."
My father spoke again.
"Roman."
I moved toward the door.
"Yes?"
"Don't trust your wife."
Elena began shaking her head.
"Roman, please."
My father continued.
"She wasn't running from your family."
He paused.
"She was running from me."
I looked at Elena.
Her eyes were full of tears.
"I never betrayed you."
I wanted to believe her.
I had spent three years believing she abandoned me.
Now every answer created another question.
I stepped closer to the doorway.
"Then tell me the truth."
Elena opened her mouth.
Before she could speak, my mother suddenly raised the gun.
Not toward me.
Toward Elena.
I moved instantly.
"Mom!"
The gun fired.
The shot echoed through the underground corridor.
Sophie screamed.
Elena dropped.
I lunged toward her.
"Elena!"
She was on the floor.
No blood.
No wound.
The bullet had struck the stone wall beside her.
My mother stared at the gun in disbelief.
"I didn't..."
Daniel grabbed her wrist.
The weapon fell.
Marcus kicked it away.
I pulled Elena upright.
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head.
"No."
Sophie was crying.
I pulled both of them close.
Then I looked at the open metal door.
It was empty.
My father was gone.
"Where did he go?"
Daniel ran toward the doorway.
I followed.
Inside was a small room.
One chair.
One desk.
A bed.
Old medical equipment.
Stacks of files.
And a second door at the far end.
The bed was still warm.
Someone had been there seconds ago.
On the desk lay a single envelope.
My name was written across it.
Roman D'Angelo.
I picked it up.
Inside was one photograph.
It showed me as a baby.
My father was holding me.
My mother stood beside him.
But there was another person in the photograph.
A woman I had never seen before.
She was holding Elena's hand.
On the back of the photograph was a date.
The same date Sophie had disappeared.
May you like
And beneath it, five words:
She was never Elena's daughter.
