Chapter 2 - THE BLACKOUT
Elena woke to the sound of breaking glass.
She sat upright.
For one second, she didn't understand where she was.
Then she remembered.
The guest wing.
Maya sleeping in the room beside hers.
The Costello estate.
And complete darkness.
"Maya?"
No answer.
Elena got out of bed.
"Maya?"
A floorboard creaked outside.
Elena froze.
Someone was in the hallway.
She grabbed the lamp from her bedside table.
The door handle moved.
Slowly.
Elena raised the lamp.
The door opened.
She swung.
Someone caught her wrist.
"Mrs. Harper."
Victor.
She nearly collapsed.
"Where's Maya?"
"Isn't she with you?"
Elena's heart stopped.
"No."
Victor immediately reached for his radio.
Static.
Elena ran past him.
"Maya!"
She reached Maya's room.
The bed was empty.
The window was open.
Rain blew across the carpet.
"No."
Elena ran to the window.
"MAYA!"
Outside, the garden disappeared into darkness.
Then she saw something.
A flashlight moving near the hedge.
Elena ran.
Victor grabbed her.
"You stay inside."
"My daughter is out there!"
"Which is exactly why whoever did this wants you running into the dark."
Elena slapped him.
Victor blinked.
"Move."
He moved.
They reached the staircase.
Luca was already there.
Two guards carried his wheelchair down because the elevator had lost power.
"She's missing."
Elena could barely speak.
"I know."
"You promised she'd be safe."
Luca absorbed the words.
They hurt because she was right.
"I'll bring her back."
"What if—"
"Don't."
His voice cracked like a gunshot.
"Don't finish that sentence."
They reached the first floor.
Luca turned to Victor.
"Thermal cameras?"
"Backup system is offline."
"Generator?"
"Cut manually."
"Inside job."
Victor nodded.
Luca's face hardened.
"Seal every gate."
A scream came from outside.
Elena ran.
Luca followed as quickly as the wheelchair allowed.
They reached the baseball diamond.
A flashlight lay in the grass.
Then a small figure appeared behind the backstop.
"Maya!"
Elena sprinted toward her.
Maya ran into her arms.
Elena dropped to her knees.
"Oh my God."
Maya was crying.
Luca approached.
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head.
"Where were you?"
Maya pointed toward the hedge.
"I heard Tommy."
Luca looked toward Victor.
"Tommy isn't here."
Maya nodded.
"I know."
Everyone went silent.
"What do you mean?"
"I heard him outside my window."
She swallowed.
"He said someone was following him."
Elena held her tighter.
Luca asked, "Then what happened?"
"I went outside."
"Alone?"
"I thought he needed help."
Luca closed his eyes briefly.
Then Maya whispered something.
"The man grabbed me."
Elena froze.
"What man?"
"I couldn't see him."
Maya reached into her pocket.
"But I pulled this off him."
She opened her hand.
A silver cuff link rested in her palm.
Luca recognized it instantly.
So did Victor.
A black C surrounded by a silver crown.
The Costello family crest.
Only six men owned that particular set.
One of them was Luca.
One was Dominic.
One was Adrian.
And one had died twelve years ago.
Luca looked toward the dark mansion.
Someone inside his family had just tried to take his daughter.
Then Tommy emerged from the hedge.
Blood covered his forehead.
"Maya!"
He stumbled forward.
Victor caught him.
"Kid, what happened?"
Tommy pointed toward the road.
"A man grabbed me."
Maya gasped.
Tommy struggled to breathe.
"He kept asking where she was."
"Who?"
Tommy looked at Luca.
"I don't know."
Then his eyes widened.
"But he said something."
Luca leaned closer.
"What?"
May you like
Tommy whispered.
"He said Maya wasn't supposed to exist."
