4

When word came that the shipment was in trouble, I was at the docks, looking things over.

Marco spoke in a rush. "Boss, the shipment for the South District is three days late.

"Our contact at customs says the monthly envelope never arrived, so they're holding the cargo."

I went still.

The "monthly envelope" was the payoff that kept the police quiet.

If the money stopped, nobody protected the cargo.

I looked up.

"Who's running that route?"

Marco lowered his voice. "Joseph used to run it. But the money was moved three days ago, and the person who moved it was..."

He didn't finish.

He handed me the transfer records.

The money had left the Lorenzi family account, passed through three intermediary accounts, and ended up in a single bank account.

The account belonged to Chloe.

But on the authorization line for the final transfer, the signature was Selena's.

I knew my daughter's signature well. That wasn't her handwriting.

I was so furious I laughed. "Chloe screwed up, so they forged a signature to make Lena take the fall?"

Marco didn't dare say another word.

Jamie called me himself. "Mom, if you hadn't kicked Chloe out of the academy, she wouldn't have been desperate enough to touch that money.

"She crossed a line this time. Have Selena sign the authorization, and we can still talk about the properties.

"Chloe has a bright future. It can't be ruined over this."

I laughed without humor. "A forged signature won't hold up, and you know it."

When he saw I wasn't budging, Jamie's tone changed instantly. "Boss, I'll give you your own words back. We're telling you, not asking you."

He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was colder. "You think a forged signature is the only card we've got?

"We've gotten Selena's signature more than once. This won't be the last time either."

My heart lurched.

"Don't you dare!

"Back to the hospital!"

When I got back to the hospital, my daughter was gone.

The tracker I'd put on her showed she was at an abandoned factory on the edge of the city.

I ran three red lights, driving as fast as the car would go.

The covert transmitter I'd given my daughter was still in her pocket, still broadcasting.

Every sound coming through it set my nerves on fire.

Jamie sounded patient, as if he were talking to a small child. "Selena, you're all grown up now. You can't keep making your brothers clean up your messes.

"Sign this, and we'll forget all about you pushing Chloe. You'll still be the princess of the Lorenzi family."

Christian laughed. "Selena, you don't have to sign. But think it through. Somebody has to take the blame for this. If you won't sign, we'll have to go to Mom."

Paolo drawled from the side, "Don't count on Mom to save you. She can't even protect herself. You don't want to make even more trouble for her, do you?"

My daughter's voice was muffled and choked with tears. "I didn't do it. I'm not signing!"

Jamie's voice went hard. "If you won't be good, your brothers will just have to help you."

I clenched my jaw, floored it, and rammed the factory gates open.

The moment I got out, bodyguards surrounded me.

Christian stopped pinning my daughter down and walked toward me with a smile.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

But the smile didn't reach his eyes.

My voice was cold. "Move."

Nobody moved.

Half of these men had once worked for me.

Now they were standing behind Christian.

Christian laughed until his eyes watered. "Mom, you still don't see how things stand?

"Perfect timing. Selena won't sign, so you can sign for her."

The moment I moved, several gun barrels pressed against my head and the small of my back.

I didn't look at the guns. I looked at Joseph instead.

My voice was quiet. "Joseph, you've been with me the longest. Have you ever seen anyone hold a gun to my head?"

Joseph froze, as if he'd remembered something.

He laughed, very softly. "I have."

It was a young man I'd demoted for screwing up.

He didn't take it well, and he blocked my car with a gun in his hand.

I asked another question. "And what happened to him?"

Joseph's smile slowly froze.

His lips trembled, but he didn't say another word.

The next day, that man and his entire family vanished from every record.

Only the screams from that night remained, haunting Joseph like a nightmare.

Paolo was getting impatient. "Boss, stop stalling.

"We're not that idiot, and you're not who you used to be.

"Nobody's coming today."

Paolo held the authorization form out in front of me.

I didn't move. I just asked one question. "Are you sure?"

The moment the words left my mouth, horns started blaring outside, one after another.

First came a few cars. Then more than a dozen.

The headlights made Christian squint.

One after another, family crests that hadn't been seen outside old newspaper photos in years appeared outside the little factory.

Joseph recognized Leo Morelli at the head of the group and hurried over to greet him. "Mr. Morelli, you came in person? We can handle the monthly envelope.

"Boss has been away from all this too long. She's just out of practice. We'll make sure she cleans up this mess, and from now on, we'll be counting on your support..."

But before he could finish, the cold barrel of a gun pressed against his forehead.

Leo held the gun, his face blank.

"Who said you could talk?"

Joseph froze where he stood.

Cowed by Leo's presence, the bodyguards around me instinctively stepped aside.

Leo walked slowly up to me and, with every eye in the room on him, took off his hat.

He bowed his head to me, his voice reverent. "Reaper, you've finally come back."