Chapter 2 - The Promise Michael Died Protecting
Dominic grabbed the teddy bear and raced toward the terrace doors while the numbers continued dropping.
Sophie remained behind the chair, shielding Lily beneath her body.
Ten seconds.
Dominic hurled the toy over the stone balcony.
The explosion shook the ballroom.
Flames rose beyond the terrace as guests screamed and dropped to the floor. Crystal trembled overhead. Smoke rolled through the open doors.
Dominic returned immediately.
“Are you hurt?”
Sophie stared at the burning garden.
“That was my brother’s gift.”
“It was replaced.”
“What?”
“The original toy never contained a device. Someone switched it tonight.”
Sophie remembered placing the bear beside Lily in the nursery. She had seen it when she left. The same gray fur. The same ribbon.
Or so she had believed.
Dominic ordered the guests searched. Nobody was permitted to leave. His security chief, Vincent Russo, locked the estate and began checking surveillance recordings.
Sophie wanted to take Lily home.
Dominic refused.
“You think I’m staying after someone put a bomb beside my child?”
“If you leave, whoever did this will follow you.”
“You lured me here!”
“To keep you alive.”
“You forged a catering job and watched my apartment.”
“I watched the people watching your apartment.”
That silenced her.
Dominic led her into a private office and opened a metal safe. Inside were letters, military photographs, and a sealed envelope bearing Michael’s handwriting.
Sophie recognized it instantly.
For Sophie—if Romano ever stops being stubborn.
Her knees weakened.
Dominic placed the envelope on the desk but did not open it.
“He gave this to me three days before the ambush that killed him.”
“You had this for two years?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you bring it to me?”
“Because the men responsible for his death believed he sent me evidence. If I approached you, they would know you mattered.”
“They already knew.”
“Yes.”
“Then your plan failed.”
Dominic accepted that without defending himself.
Sophie opened the letter.
Michael’s words were short.
Soph,
If you’re reading this, I didn’t make it home. I need you to trust Dominic Romano, even if every reasonable part of you says not to. I saved his life once. He has been trying to repay me ever since, which is annoying because I only did what he would have done for me.
There are people using military transport routes to move weapons and drugs into the United States. I found records proving an officer inside our unit was involved. I couldn’t send the evidence through official channels because I didn’t know how high the corruption reached.
I hid the access key where only you could find it.
Remember what Dad used to say about Mom’s lullaby.
Keep Lily safe. Keep yourself safe. Let Dominic help.
I love you.
Michael
Sophie read it twice.
“What lullaby?”
Dominic asked softly.
Sophie did not answer. She was remembering childhood nights when storms shook the windows. Their mother had sung the same song while winding an old wooden music box.
After their parents died, Michael kept the box.
Following his funeral, it had vanished.
“Someone stole it,” Sophie whispered.
“What?”
“My mother’s music box. It disappeared from Michael’s apartment after he died.”
Dominic’s jaw tightened.
“Did you report it?”
“The police said the apartment had probably been burglarized. Nothing valuable was missing.”
“It was valuable to Michael.”
Sophie folded the letter.
“Who killed him?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I know who ordered the ambush. General Peter Caldwell.”
Sophie knew the name. Caldwell had delivered Michael’s folded flag at the funeral. He had looked her in the eyes and called her brother a hero.
“He came to my apartment,” she said. “He held Lily when she was six weeks old.”
Dominic’s expression darkened.
“Why?”
“He said he wanted to honor Michael’s memory.”
“He wanted to search your home.”
A knock interrupted them.
Vincent entered carrying a tablet.
“The nursery recording was erased,” he said. “Six minutes are missing.”
“Who had access?”
“Four employees. Evelyn, two guards, and me.”
Sophie studied Vincent. He was in his forties, calm and controlled, with a scar near his left temple.
Dominic trusted him. That was obvious.
But someone Dominic trusted had placed a bomb beside Lily.
Evelyn was brought into the office.
She insisted she had never entered the nursery after Sophie left. Her security badge showed no unauthorized movement.
One guard had disappeared.
The other was found unconscious near the service entrance.
Dominic ordered the estate searched.
Then Lily began tugging Sophie’s earring.
The baby babbled and pointed toward the open safe.
Inside, beneath Michael’s letters, lay another teddy bear.
The real one.
Sophie recognized a tiny patch she had sewn onto its left foot.
She turned slowly toward Dominic.
“You already had Lily’s bear.”
Dominic looked genuinely confused.
“That wasn’t there before.”
Vincent reached for his weapon.
The office lights went out.
Someone struck Sophie from behind.
She fell, still holding Lily.
Dominic caught the baby as a masked figure dragged Sophie toward the hidden door behind the bookcase.
She clawed at the carpet.
“Dominic!”
He lunged after her, but the masked attacker pressed a knife against her throat.
“Open the gate,” the man ordered, “or the sister dies like the soldier.”
Dominic stopped.
For the first time, Sophie saw fear in the mafia boss’s eyes.
Not fear for himself.
Fear for her.
The attacker forced Sophie into the passage.
Before the door closed, she saw Vincent raise his gun behind Dominic.
The barrel was pointed at the back of Dominic’s head.
May you like
“Dominic!” she screamed.
A shot thundered through the office.
