Chapter 6 - THE TRAP
Gabriel left Lily with Claire and went downstairs.
Claire expected him to order everyone out.
Instead, he handed her a phone.
“Call this number if anything happens.”
“What counts as anything?”
“Anything.”
“That’s reassuring.”
Gabriel almost smiled.
Almost.
Then he left.
Lily drank three more sips of water.
Dr. Price looked like he had just witnessed a miracle.
Claire sat beside the bed.
“Hungry?”
Lily shook her head.
“Okay.”
The doctor opened his mouth.
Claire glared at him.
He shut it again.
A few minutes later, Lily whispered, “Can I have crackers?”
Dr. Price nearly dropped his tablet.
Claire brought plain crackers.
Lily ate half of one.
No cheering.
No praise.
Claire simply said, “They’re kind of stale.”
Lily stared at the cracker.
Then a tiny smile appeared.
It lasted less than a second.
It was enough.
Downstairs, Gabriel reached the garage.
Sofia’s Bentley sat beneath fluorescent lights.
Blood stained the driver’s seat.
His security chief, Tomas Vega, stood nearby.
“No body.”
“Cameras?”
“Disabled for four minutes.”
Gabriel looked at him.
“Who can disable garage cameras?”
Tomas didn’t answer.
“Who?”
“Me. Vincent. You.”
“And?”
Tomas hesitated.
“Head of residential security.”
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed.
“Daniel Crowe.”
Crowe had worked for him eleven years.
Former NYPD.
Former Marine.
Godfather to one of Vincent’s children.
Gabriel turned slowly.
“Where is Crowe?”
Nobody knew.
That was problem number two.
Problem number three arrived seconds later.
A guard found a GPS tracker beneath Sofia’s car.
Someone wanted them to find it.
Gabriel stared at the blood.
“Not hers.”
Tomas looked surprised.
“How do you know?”
“Sofia takes blood thinners.”
He crouched.
“That amount would be everywhere.”
A message came through Gabriel’s phone.
Unknown number.
A photograph.
Sofia was tied to a chair.
Alive.
Bruised.
Behind her stood Marcus Kane.
Older now.
Gray hair.
Gold lion ring.
Gabriel’s grip tightened around the phone.
Another message.
BRING LILY TO PIER 19. MIDNIGHT.
Gabriel looked at the time.
9:42 p.m.
Tomas whispered, “It’s a trap.”
“Yes.”
“What do we do?”
Gabriel stared at the photograph.
“We spring it.”
Back upstairs, Claire heard someone enter the penthouse.
She assumed Gabriel had returned.
Then she heard Lily whisper—
“Flower lady.”
Claire turned.
Sofia Varrick stood in the bedroom doorway.
No ropes.
No bruises.
No blood.
Perfect hair.
May you like
Perfect coat.
And a small pistol pointed directly at Claire.
