Chapter 7 - AUNT SOFIA
“Don’t scream.”
Claire didn’t.
Lily began trembling.
Sofia closed the door behind her.
“You made everything difficult.”
Claire glanced toward the emergency button beside the bed.
“Don’t.”
Sofia lifted the gun.
“I’ve killed people smarter than you.”
Claire believed her.
“Why?”
Sofia smiled sadly.
“That’s always the question innocent people ask.”
“You handed a four-year-old to Kane.”
“I handed Gabriel a lesson.”
Lily whimpered.
Claire shifted slightly, blocking Sofia’s view of the girl.
“You’re scaring her.”
“She’ll survive.”
“That’s what you said the first time?”
Sofia’s expression flickered.
Claire saw it.
Guilt?
No.
Anger.
“You know nothing about this family.”
“Then tell me.”
Sofia laughed.
“You think Gabriel built his empire? His father built it. My father built it. Men took everything while women served dinner and buried bodies.”
Claire kept her talking.
“Marcus Kane promised you what?”
“Respect.”
“Power?”
“My share.”
Lily whispered, “You hurt Mommy.”
Sofia’s face changed.
For the first time, she looked at the child.
“Elena wasn’t supposed to die.”
Claire felt sick.
“But she did.”
“Kane changed the plan.”
“What was the plan?”
“Take Lily. Force Gabriel to surrender the docks. Return the child.”
Claire stared at her.
“You expected him to believe his daughter had been randomly kidnapped during an assassination?”
“The chaos was useful.”
“And Elena?”
Sofia’s jaw tightened.
“Elena found messages she shouldn’t have.”
“So you killed her.”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
Claire believed that part.
“Then who did?”
Sofia looked toward the window.
“Kane.”
A sound came through the hallway.
Footsteps.
Sofia raised the gun.
Claire moved.
Not toward Sofia.
Toward the lamp.
She grabbed it and threw it.
The lamp shattered.
The gun fired.
Lily screamed.
Claire hit the floor.
The bedroom door burst open.
A guard rushed in.
Sofia fired again.
He collapsed.
Claire crawled to Lily and covered her body.
Sofia ran.
The alarm erupted.
Doors locked automatically throughout the penthouse.
Gabriel called Claire’s phone.
She answered while shaking.
“She’s here.”
“What?”
“Sofia. She shot one of your men.”
Gabriel’s voice became deadly calm.
“Where are you?”
“With Lily.”
“Stay there.”
Claire looked toward the guard bleeding on the floor.
“We need a medic.”
“Already coming.”
Then Lily touched Claire’s cheek.
Blood stained her tiny fingers.
Claire hadn’t realized she had been hit.
Gabriel heard Lily say, “Claire’s bleeding.”
There was a pause.
Then his voice changed.
“Where?”
Claire touched her temple.
The bullet had grazed her.
“I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
Gabriel exhaled.
Then a guard shouted through the phone.
“Boss! Sofia reached the service elevator.”
Gabriel barked, “Stop her.”
May you like
A second later, the line went dead.
Because the entire penthouse lost power.
