Chapter 5 - The Child They Were Hunting
The message was still glowing on Jackson Miller’s phone.
"COME FIND YOUR SON."
I stopped breathing.
Because the person who sent it knew exactly where my child was.
For one second, nobody moved.
The world became completely silent.
Then Dominic moved.
Fast.
He grabbed the phone from Jackson’s hand and looked at the picture again.
My son.
Sleeping.
Peaceful.
Completely unaware that someone was watching him.
A mother’s instinct is something impossible to explain.
It is not a thought.
It is not a decision.
It is survival.
And in that moment, every part of me wanted to run upstairs.
But Dominic grabbed my arm.
"Stay here."
I looked at him.
"My son is upstairs."
"I know."
"Then let go of me."
His eyes met mine.
For the first time since I met him, I saw something close to fear.
Not for himself.
For me.
"For once, Clara, listen to me."
His voice was low.
"Someone wants you to react emotionally."
I looked toward the stairs.
"They have my child."
"They want you to believe they have your child."
The words made my blood freeze.
"What are you saying?"
Dominic looked at Jackson.
"Check the security system."
Jackson immediately moved.
The confidence he carried earlier was gone.
Now he looked like a soldier preparing for war.
I hated that.
Because it meant this was real.
Not a threat.
Not a warning.
A war.
Dominic walked toward the staircase.
I followed.
"Clara."
I ignored him.
"I am going with you."
"You don't know what is waiting upstairs."
"I don't care."
He stopped.
I looked at him.
"My entire life, people have decided things for me."
My voice shook.
"Nathaniel decided when I mattered."
"Victoria decided when I was worth destroying."
"Everyone decided what I should know."
I stepped closer.
"But nobody decides if I see my son."
For a moment, Dominic said nothing.
Then he nodded.
"Stay behind me."
We walked upstairs.
Every step felt louder than it should.
The hallway was dark.
The nursery door was closed.
My heart almost stopped.
Before I reached it, Dominic raised his hand.
A signal.
Wait.
He moved closer.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Then opened the door.
The room was empty.
My entire body went cold.
The crib was there.
The blanket was there.
The small stuffed animal was there.
But my son was gone.
"No."
The sound left my mouth before I could control it.
"No."
I rushed forward.
The crib was empty.
I grabbed the blanket.
It still carried his scent.
My knees almost collapsed.
Dominic caught me.
"Clara."
"Where is he?"
My voice broke.
"Where is my son?"
Nobody answered.
Then Jackson appeared at the doorway.
His face was pale.
"Dominic."
Something in his tone made everyone turn.
"What?"
Jackson held a tablet.
"The cameras."
He swallowed.
"They weren't hacked."
Dominic stared at him.
"Then how?"
Jackson looked at me.
And I already knew I wasn't going to like the answer.
"Someone used an authorized access code."
My heart sank.
"Whose code?"
Jackson hesitated.
Dominic's expression changed.
"Say it."
Jackson lowered his voice.
"The code belonged to Dominic."
The room went silent.
I looked at Dominic.
He looked genuinely shocked.
"I never gave anyone access."
Jackson nodded.
"I know."
"Then someone copied it."
"Yes."
Dominic looked at the empty crib.
His jaw tightened.
Someone had entered his home.
Someone had taken my son.
Using his own security.
And somehow...
They knew everything.
I walked toward Dominic.
"Who could do this?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then:
"Someone from my past."
The words made me stop.
"Your past?"
He looked at me.
"Clara, there are things about me you need to understand."
I laughed bitterly.
"Now?"
He didn't react.
"I became Dominic Falcone because I had no other choice."
I stared at him.
"Everyone says that."
His eyes darkened.
"Everyone says monsters choose to become monsters."
He looked toward the empty crib.
"But sometimes monsters are created by people who needed one."
Before I could respond, Jackson's tablet made a sound.
A video file appeared.
No sender.
No location.
No information.
Just one title.
FOR CLARA.
Dominic stared.
"Don't open it."
I looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because whoever sent this wants us to."
I reached for the tablet.
"Then I want to know."
Dominic tried to stop me.
But I pressed play.
The screen showed darkness.
Then a room appeared.
A man sat in a chair.
His face was hidden.
But his voice was familiar.
Not to me.
To Dominic.
"Hello, Dominic."
The mafia boss froze.
The man's voice continued.
"You always were predictable."
Dominic stepped closer.
"Who is that?"
Nobody answered.
The man on the screen continued.
"You saved her."
A pause.
"I knew you would."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
The man laughed softly.
"Clara Montgomery was the bait."
I felt the room disappear.
"Bait?"
Dominic's face became dangerous.
"What did you do?"
The man ignored him.
"Your father would be disappointed, Dominic."
At those words, Dominic froze.
My eyes moved to him.
The man knew his father.
Then he said something worse.
"The Montgomery girl was never the target."
The video glitched.
Then returned.
"The child was."
My hands covered my mouth.
No.
No.
The man continued.
"That boy carries something Nathaniel Harrington spent years searching for."
I looked at Dominic.
"What is he talking about?"
Dominic didn't answer.
Because he knew.
The man smiled.
"You thought you could protect them."
A pause.
"But you forgot one thing."
The screen went black.
Then one final image appeared.
A photograph.
A baby.
My son.
And written beneath it:
THE HEIR HAS BEEN FOUND.
The video ended.
Nobody spoke.
I looked at Dominic.
"Tell me the truth."
He looked away.
And that scared me more than anything.
Because Dominic Falcone was never afraid.
But now...
He was.
"What does my son have?"
A long silence followed.
Then Dominic finally whispered:
"The same thing your father died protecting."
Before I could ask another question, every light in the house suddenly turned off.
The security system went silent.
The entire mansion disappeared into darkness.
Then Dominic's phone vibrated.
One new message.
He looked at the screen.
And for the first time...
The color left his face.
I stepped closer.
"Who is it?"
Dominic didn't answer.
He slowly turned the phone toward me.
May you like
The message contained only three words.
"Ask your mother."
