The Second SUV

"Dead?"

Cassandra's voice was barely a whisper. She stared at Marco, her face pale.

"Car accident," Marco confirmed. "Hit and run. No witnesses. Professional job."

Dante's jaw tightened. His hands curled into fists at his sides.

"Whoever is behind this," he said slowly, "is cleaning up their tracks."

Cassandra sank onto the nearest chair. Her legs wouldn't hold her anymore. Every lead was disappearing. Every person who could help them was being eliminated.

"We need to find another way," she said. "Someone else who can decrypt the chip."

"There's no one else." Dante's voice was flat. "He was the only one I trusted."

Cassandra looked down at the necklace in her hand. The microchip was still inside, its secrets locked away.

What did you hide, Mom? she wondered. What was worth dying for?

She had no answers.

---

Cassandra retreated to her room. She couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. The walls were closing in.

She needed to find Rosa. Needed to make sure she was okay.

She left her room and wandered the mansion. The hallways were empty. Silent. The staff had retreated to their quarters.

She found Rosa's room. The door was slightly open.

"Rosa?" Cassandra pushed it open.

The room was empty.

The bed was made. The closet was bare. Rosa's belongings were gone.

Cassandra's blood ran cold.

She ran. Her feet slapped against the marble as she tore through the hallways. She burst into Dante's study.

"Rosa is gone," she gasped. "Her room is empty. She's not anywhere."

Dante's expression hardened. He turned to Marco.

"Find her. Now."

Marco disappeared. Dante crossed to Cassandra, his hands gripping her shoulders.

"Calm down," he said. "We'll find her."

"She was supposed to be protected!" Cassandra's voice cracked. "I promised her—I promised I'd keep her safe—"

"This isn't your fault."

"Yes, it is!" Tears streamed down her face. "She was just trying to protect her family. And now she's going to die because of me."

Dante pulled her into his arms. She clung to him, her body shaking.

"I won't let anything happen to her," he murmured against her hair. "I swear it."

---

Dante's phone buzzed. He pulled away, answering it.

"Sir," one of his men said. "There's a black SUV in the driveway. It's been sitting there for ten minutes. Engine running. No one's gotten out."

Dante's jaw tightened. "I'm on my way."

He grabbed Cassandra's hand and pulled her toward the window.

"Look," he said quietly.

Cassandra peered through the curtains. Her heart stopped.

A black SUV sat in the driveway. Identical to the one that had watched her apartment. Identical to the one that had followed her everywhere.

"They found me," she whispered. "They found me again."

Dante pulled her away from the window. "Stay here. Don't move."

"Where are you going?"

"To find out what they want."

He walked toward the door. Cassandra grabbed his arm.

"Don't go," she begged. "Please don't go."

Dante turned back. His eyes softened.

"I'll be right back," he said quietly. "I promise."

---

He walked toward the front door. His men flanked him, guns drawn.

The SUV sat in the driveway, dark and menacing.

Dante stepped forward. His hand went to his gun.

Then his phone rang.

He answered. A voice spoke—distorted, inhuman.

"Give us the necklace," the voice said. "Or the maid dies."

Dante's hand tightened on the phone.

"Who is this?" he demanded.

"Your worst nightmare."

The line went dead.

Dante stared at the SUV. His jaw tightened.

"Open the gates," he ordered. "Let them in."

His men hesitated. "Sir—"

"Do it. Now."

The gates swung open. The SUV pulled into the driveway.

---

The mansion was a maze.

Cassandra wandered the hallways, her footsteps echoing off the marble. Portraits lined the walls—stern-faced men and women who seemed to judge her with every step.

She turned a corner and nearly collided with someone.

"Excuse me—" she started.

The man was tall, silver-haired, broad-shouldered. His face was stern, his eyes cold and dismissive. He was in a hurry, his jaw tight, his movements sharp and impatient.

Vincent Moretti.

Cassandra recognized him from the portraits. Dante's father. The man who'd built an empire on blood and secrets.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I was looking for—"

Vincent barely glanced at her. His eyes flicked over her dismissively, like she was nothing. Like she was less than nothing.

Then he walked past her without a word.

Cassandra stared after him. His footsteps echoed down the hallway. He didn't look back. Didn't acknowledge her existence.

She wondered if he even liked her here. If he even wanted her here.

He probably doesn't, she thought. Why would he? I'm a stranger. An intruder. Someone who doesn't belong.

She shook off the thought and continued her search.

---

Cassandra watched from the window. Her heart pounded in her chest.

The SUV stopped. The doors opened.

Four men stepped out. Armed. Masked. They moved with military precision.

Dante stood in the driveway, his hands raised.

"I want to see the necklace," one of the men said. "Then we'll talk about the maid."

Dante reached into his pocket. Cassandra's heart stopped.

No, she thought. Don't give it to them.

But Dante pulled out his phone. Not the necklace.

"I'll show you," he said calmly. "But first—I want proof of life."

The masked men exchanged glances. One of them pulled out his own phone. A video played.

Rosa's face appeared on the screen. She was crying. Terrified. But alive.

"She's safe," the man said. "For now. Give us the necklace, and she walks free."

Dante's jaw tightened. "I'll need a minute."

"You have two."

Cassandra burst out of the mansion. She ran toward the driveway, her heart pounding.

"Don't give them the necklace!" she shouted. "It's what they want—"

Dante spun around. "Emma, get back inside!"

"No!" She ran toward him. "I won't let you sacrifice Rosa. There has to be another way."

The masked men watched, their guns raised.

"This is touching," one of them said. "But we don't have time for sentiment."

Cassandra stepped forward. Her hands were shaking, but she forced herself to stand tall.

"Let Rosa go," she said firmly. "And I'll give you what you want."

"Emma—" Dante started.

"No." She met his eyes. "I won't let someone else die for me."