Chapter 3 - the ghost in the foyer
By midnight, a cold, heavy rain began to fall over the Connecticut estate, hammering against the slate roofs and high glass windows.
Adrian sat in his high-backed leather chair in the study, a half-empty glass of vintage bourbon resting near his elbow. Spread out across his mahogany desk were several yellowed photographs from six years ago. In every picture, James Cole stood beside Adrian—smiling, handsome, wearing dark tailored suits, looking far gentler and more carefree than his older brother ever could be.
Adrian traced his finger over his brother's face in the photo. James had been the light of the Cole family, the one person Adrian had sworn to protect from the brutal violence of the syndicate world. When James was murdered five years ago in an alleyway in New Haven, Adrian had torn the city apart looking for the killer, but the investigation had turned into a wall of cold silence.
A soft rustle sounded from the hallway outside.
Adrian set his glass down and stood up, stepping quietly to the doorway.
In the dim light of the grand foyer below, three-year-old Nora was walking barefoot across the marble floor. She was wearing her yellow dress, holding her tiny yellow purse in one hand, and dragging a small white blanket behind her.
She stopped near the tall portrait of James Cole that hung in the gallery archway.
The little girl looked up at the painting of the handsome young man in the dark suit. She reached up her tiny arm, pointing her finger at the canvas, and let out a soft, sweet giggle.
"Hi, Daddy," Nora whispered into the quiet night.
Adrian, watching from the top of the stairs, felt a sharp, violent ache strike his chest. The breath locked in his throat. A child who had never met James Cole was standing before his portrait, recognizing him without hesitation.
Emma stepped out from the servant hallway, rushing over to pick up her daughter. "Nora, sweetie, it's late... you need to sleep."
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Emma looked up toward the balcony landing and caught Adrian staring down at them from the shadows. The look of absolute, terrifying realization in his eyes made her blood run cold.
She knew the lie was dying. And she knew that once Adrian Cole confirmed the bloodline, he would never let them leave this house alive.
