Chapter 8
Ryan stared at the handwriting until the letters blurred. He had a daughter. Another daughter. Sarah wasn't just a pawn used to breach his security; she was his own flesh and blood. Maria had been alive all this time, hiding, raising their child in secret to protect her from his violent world.
But if Maria had hidden her, who was the "bad man" Sarah mentioned? Who had found them, killed Maria, and planted the child in his walls?
With trembling hands, Ryan unfolded the heavy parchment paper from the leather pouch. It was a letter, written in a sharp, masculine scrawl that Ryan did not recognize.
Ryan,
If you are reading this, it means you finally noticed the rat in your walls. You took everything from me five years ago. You took my family, my business, my name. But I survived. I found your little secret living quietly in upstate New York. She fought hard, Ryan. She really did. But in the end, she went to sleep.
I could have killed the brat, too. But that’s too easy. I wanted you to live with her. I wanted you to sleep in your million-dollar mansion, completely unaware that your own blood was starving just inches away from you. I wanted to prove that you are blind, weak, and entirely vulnerable.
Enjoy the reunion. I'll be coming for the rest of your family soon.
The letter was unsigned, but it didn't need to be. The Falcone crest on the blanket was the signature. A ghost from the past had returned, and they were already inside the gates.
"Ryan!"
Emily’s voice shattered the silence. She was running down the hallway, her bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor. She had left the girls upstairs. Her face was frantic, her intelligent eyes wide with panic.
"Emily, I told you to stay locked in the room!" Ryan shouted, standing up quickly and crushing the letter in his fist.
"I couldn't," Emily gasped, grabbing his arm. "Ryan, you need to come upstairs right now. It's Sarah."
"Is she hurt?" Ryan demanded, dropping his phone and grabbing Emily by the shoulders.
May you like
"No, she's not hurt," Emily said, her chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath. "I was running the bath for her. I took off that horrible oversized shirt she was wearing. Ryan... she has something on her back. A tattoo. Someone tattooed something on her."
Ryan didn't wait for another word. He sprinted past Emily, his long legs taking the grand staircase two steps at a time, his mind racing with a terrifying, violent fury.
