Chapter 6 - Behind the VentCalvin Pike’s room was exactly what Evelyn expected and nothing like it.
It was small, neat, and nearly empty. The bed was made with military corners. His uniforms hung by color. His boots stood in a straight row beneath the window. There were no photographs, no books, no personal objects except a cheap metal clock and a jar of dog treats on the dresser.
Titan sniffed the treats once and sneezed.
Evelyn looked at Gabriel. “Do not let him eat those.”
Gabriel picked up the jar, opened it, and smelled them. His expression darkened. “Sedatives?”
“Maybe. Or something to make him sluggish and irritable. Enough to make everyone believe he was naturally violent.”
Sofia stood behind Rosa in the doorway, wrapped in a blanket. She had refused to let Titan out of her sight, and Titan had refused to let her out of his. Gabriel had not tried to separate them. Evelyn suspected he was learning quickly.
Victor was not with them.
Gabriel had ordered him to remain downstairs.
That order had landed like a slap.
Evelyn crossed to the wall vent near the floor. One screw had been scratched more than the others. She knelt, winced as pain moved through her knee, and reached for the small screwdriver Rosa had brought.
Gabriel noticed the wince. “Your knee.”
“It is attached.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It is the only one I am offering while unscrewing evidence from your employee’s wall.”
He said nothing, but his mouth did that almost-smile again.
The vent cover came loose.
Inside was a plastic-wrapped bundle tied with wire.
Evelyn pulled it out.
The bundle contained photographs, receipts, flash drives, and a child’s drawing folded into quarters.
Sofia made a sound.
Evelyn held up the drawing. “Is this yours?”
The girl nodded.
The picture showed a black dog, a woman with dark hair, and a baby wrapped in yellow. Above them, in uneven letters, Sofia had written: MAMA SAID TITAN KNOWS HOME.
Gabriel took the drawing like it might break him.
“Lucia hated yellow,” he said faintly. “Then when she was pregnant, everything had to be yellow. Blankets. Curtains. Flowers. She said the house needed a sunrise.”
His voice caught on the last word.
Vanessa appeared at the doorway. “Gabriel, perhaps Sofia should see a doctor before we overwhelm her with questions.”
Evelyn looked up sharply.
Vanessa smiled at her. “Surely even you agree the child needs medical care.”
“Yes,” Evelyn said. “A doctor chosen by Gabriel. Not by you.”
The smile stayed, but Vanessa’s eyes sharpened.
Gabriel handed the flash drives to Rosa. “Put these in the safe in my study.”
Victor’s voice came from behind Vanessa. “That is a mistake.”
No one had heard him approach.
Titan had.
The dog’s lips lifted.
Gabriel turned. “I told you to remain downstairs.”
Victor’s face was stone. “And I chose to prevent you from mishandling sensitive material.”
“Sensitive to whom?”
“To this family. To your business. To whatever future you think you still have if this becomes public.”
Gabriel stepped toward him. “A child was locked inside my house.”
“A child appeared inside your house.”
Sofia flinched.
Evelyn forgot fear. “Stop saying it like that.”
Victor’s eyes moved to her with open contempt. “You have been here seven days. You do not understand what this family has survived.”
“No. But I understand what surviving looks like.” She nodded toward Sofia. “And she has been doing it without you.”
Gabriel’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
“Who is it?” Rosa asked.
Gabriel answered on speaker.
A man’s voice filled the room. “Mr. Romano. Detective Harris. We received an anonymous emergency call reporting a kidnapped minor at your Lake Geneva property.”
Vanessa went completely still.
Victor cursed under his breath.
Gabriel’s eyes moved to Vanessa. “Anonymous?”
“Yes,” the detective said. “Units are en route. We also received attached photos of a child in an upstairs room.”
Gabriel’s jaw clenched. “How soon?”
“Five minutes.”
Vanessa stepped forward, voice trembling beautifully. “Gabriel, this is a setup. Someone wants police inside your home. Think about what they will find.”
Evelyn saw the trap then.
If the police arrived and found Sofia, Gabriel would be accused. If they searched deeper, anyone could plant evidence. If Gabriel resisted, the headlines wrote themselves.
MAFIA BOSS HIDES CHILD IN MANSION.
Vanessa’s eyes glittered.
She had not lost control.
She had moved the board.
Gabriel knew it too.
For one moment, the mansion seemed to hold its breath.
Then Sofia whispered, “I can tell them.”
Every adult looked at her.
The girl stepped from behind Rosa. She was shaking, but her chin lifted.
“I can tell them Uncle Gabriel didn’t know.”
Gabriel’s face cracked again. “Sofia—”
“No,” Evelyn said softly. “Let her choose.”
Vanessa snapped, “She is seven.”
Evelyn stood. “Exactly. And everyone else has been choosing for her long enough.”
Sirens began to wail beyond the trees.
Titan pressed against Sofia’s side.
Gabriel looked at Evelyn as if the whole night had narrowed to one question.
“What do I do?” he asked.
May you like
Evelyn Hart, who had been hired to polish silver and carry laundry, gave the most feared man in Wisconsin the answer no one else dared.
“You open the front door.”
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