Chapter 5 - THE STRANGER IN THE SEDAN
The man in the car wore an expensive gray trench coat.
His face was half-hidden in the shadows of the backseat.
"Who are you?" I demanded, backing away toward the brick wall.
"Someone who wants to save your life," the man replied smoothly. "Unlike Matteo Moretti."
"Matteo saved me back there!"
"Matteo is the reason your mother is dead."
The words hit me with the force of a freight train.
"You're lying."
"Am I?" The man pushed the car door wider. "Ask him about the night of November 12th. Ask him who ordered the hit on Elena Romano."
Sirens wailed in the distance.
Police cars were converging on Bellaforte.
"Get in the car, Tessa. Before Matteo’s men finish cleaning up the mess."
I looked back at the smoking alley exit.
No sign of Matteo.
No sign of Luca.
Just billowing black smoke and sirens.
"How do I know you're not working with them?"
"Because I have what your mother was really protecting."
The man reached into his breast pocket.
He pulled out a silver pendant.
Identical to the one in my bedroom drawer.
My breath caught in my throat.
"Where did you get that?"
"From your mother’s safety deposit box," he said. "The one Matteo has been hunting for ten years."
I stared at the pendant glittering under the streetlamp.
My mind raced.
Everything I thought I knew was a lie.
My mother wasn't just a translator.
Matteo wasn't just a restaurant owner.
And I was walking right into another trap.
Or maybe... the ultimate truth.
I gripped the leather briefcase tighter.
"Open the door," I said.
The man smiled coldly.
"Smart girl."
I slid into the plush leather interior of the sedan.
The door slammed shut with a heavy, isolating thud.
The car surged forward into the rainy Philadelphia night.
We sped past neon signs and empty streets.
I looked out the window.
Through the rain-streaked glass, I saw another black SUV speeding in the opposite direction.
A brief flash of light illuminated the driver's face.
It was Matteo.
May you like
And he was looking directly at our car.
THE END OF CHAPTER 5
