My Maid Came Home at 2:43 A.M.—Then the Mafia Boss Discovered She’d Been Hiding a Secret That Could Destroy Them Both

Everything happened at once.

A woman screamed.

Derek drew.

Julian stepped in front of Maya.

Nico's gun shook.

"Back up," he said.

"Put it down," Julian replied.

"I can't."

"You can."

"You don't understand."

"Then explain."

Nico's eyes were wet. That was worse than anger.

"Vale has my daughter."

Julian stopped.

Maya stared. "You have a daughter?"

"Six years old. Her mother keeps her out of the family. I wanted it that way. Vale found them last month."

Derek lowered his weapon half an inch.

"So you've been feeding him information."

"Schedules. Cars. Security changes. Nothing that was supposed to hurt anyone."

Julian's voice turned brutal. "He took Maya's mother."

"I didn't know he would."

"He blew up a building."

"I didn't know!"

People scattered from the cafe.

Nico looked at Maya. "The binder was the price for my daughter. I had someone take it from the clinic."

"Where is it now?"

"Vale has it."

Maya felt suddenly empty.

Julian said, "Where is your daughter?"

"I don't know. He sends videos."

"Name."

"Sophie."

Maya watched Julian absorb the information.

For all his rage, he understood hostages.

He stepped closer.

"Give me the gun."

Nico shook his head. "If he sees me helping you—"

"He's already done with you."

"You don't know that."

"I know men like him. Once a traitor proves he'll betray family, nobody trusts him twice."

Nico's face collapsed because he knew Julian was right.

The gun lowered.

Derek took it.

Julian caught Nico by the coat and pulled him close.

"You are going to give me every message, every number, every place he told you to go. Then I'm going to get your daughter. After that, you and I will decide what family means."

Nico nodded, shaking.

Police sirens sounded outside.

"We need to move," Derek said.

They exited through a service corridor.

In the car, Maya held the cassette tape in both hands.

"We still have this."

Julian looked at it. "And Vale has the binder."

"Maybe the tape tells us what page seven means."

Nico wiped sweat from his face. "Vale mentioned an old recording once. Said Rafael was obsessed with proof people couldn't erase."

Derek pulled into an underground garage.

They used an old cassette player from Julian's private office.

The tape hissed.

Then Rafael Torres spoke.

Maya covered her mouth.

She had not heard her father's voice in twelve years.

"If Elena is hearing this," Rafael said, "then I failed to get us out."

Maya began to cry silently.

"The blue ledger is real, but it is not the evidence. It is the map. Page seven points to the person who kept the original files. Do not trust a Croft who says he wants to help."

Julian looked down.

The tape clicked.