The Charmer's Mask

The Charmer's Mask

Maya's POV

I kicked down Luca's bedroom door.
He jumped up from his bed, cards scattered everywhere from the game he'd been playing alone.
"Maya! What are you doing?"
"Getting answers."
I slammed the door behind me and turned the lock.
"You can't just break into my room!"
"Watch me."
Luca's usual smile was gone. Good. I was tired of that fake smile.
"Look, about what happened downstairs—"
"Shut up."
"Maya, listen—"
"I said shut up!"
He actually closed his mouth. For once.
I walked toward him slowly. Like a hunter stalking prey.
"You know things about my mother that nobody else knows."
"I explained that. I was watching her for the investigation."
"No. You were lying."
"I wasn't lying!"
"Then prove it."
"How?"
"Tell me what you really know."
Luca sat back down on his bed. He looked smaller now. Less confident.
"I told you everything."
"No, you didn't."
"Maya, I swear—"
"Stop swearing! Stop lying! Just tell me the truth!"
My voice cracked on the last word. All the anger and fear from the past few days was pouring out of me.
Luca's face softened. "Hey, don't cry."
"I'm not crying!"
But I was. Tears were running down my cheeks.
"Come here," he said gently.
"No."
"Maya—"
"Don't Maya me! You've been lying to me since the day we met!"
"That's not true."
"Isn't it? You never told me you were my cousin. You never told me you knew my mother. You never told me you were the spy she was hunting!"
"I was protecting you!"
"From what?"
"From the truth!"
"What truth?"
Luca stood up again. He walked to the window and stared out at the city.
"Your mother wasn't just investigating the families, Maya. She was investigating me specifically."
"Why?"
"Because someone told her I was the leak."
"Who?"
"I don't know. But they were right."
At least he was finally being honest about something.
"So you were feeding information to Isabella Romano?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Money. Power. The usual reasons."
"That's it? Money?"
Luca turned around. His face looked different now. Harder.
"Do you know what it's like to grow up with nothing, Maya? To watch your family struggle while other families get rich off our work?"
"So you became a criminal?"
"I became smart."
"You became a traitor."
"I became a survivor."
The way he said it made my skin crawl. This wasn't the charming Luca I thought I knew.
"How long were you spying on my mother?"
"Six months."
"Every day?"
"Most days."
"Where?"
"Everywhere. Her apartment. Her work. Her favorite places."
"You followed her everywhere for six months and you expect me to believe you didn't kill her?"
"I didn't!"
"Then who did?"
"I don't know!"
"Stop lying!"
"I'm not lying!"
I walked closer to him. Close enough to see the sweat on his forehead.
"If you didn't kill her, then how do you know she was afraid of spiders?"
Luca's mouth opened and closed.
"Well?"
"I... I saw her reaction once."
"To what?"
"There was a spider in her coffee shop. She freaked out."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"Luca."
"What?"
"You're lying again."
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are. I can tell."
"How?"
"Because when you lie, you touch your left ear."
Luca's hand froze halfway to his ear.
"You're doing it right now," I said.
He dropped his hand quickly.
"Maya, please. Just drop this."
"No."
"You don't understand how dangerous this is."
"For who? You?"
"For both of us!"
"Why?"
"Because if certain people find out what I know..."
"What do you know?"
"Things I shouldn't."
"Like what?"
"Like who really killed your mother."
My heart stopped.
"You know who killed her?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"I have suspicions."
"Who?"
"I can't tell you that."
"Why not?"
"Because they'll kill us both."
"I don't care!"
"Well, I do!"
I grabbed his shirt and pushed him against the wall.
"Tell me!"
"Maya, let go!"
"Not until you tell me who killed my mother!"
"I can't!"
"You can!"
"They'll know it came from me!"
"I don't care!"
"I do!"
I pressed harder against his chest.
"My mother is dead because of you!"
"That's not true!"
"You were supposed to protect her! You were FBI!"
"I was undercover!"
"You were supposed to be on her side!"
"I was trying to survive!"
"She's dead and you're alive! That doesn't seem fair!"
Luca's face changed again. The scared look disappeared. Something colder took its place.
"Life isn't fair, Maya."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means your mother was naive. She thought she could trust everyone."
"She could trust you! You were her partner!"
"I was never her partner."
"Yes, you were! You worked together!"
"I worked for Isabella Romano."
"But you were FBI!"
"I was Isabella's spy inside the FBI."
The words hit me like a brick wall.
"What?"
"I was never really FBI, Maya. I was always working for the Romanos."
"That's impossible."
"Is it?"
"The FBI wouldn't hire a criminal!"
"They didn't know I was a criminal."
"How?"
"Because I'm very good at lying."
I stared at him. This wasn't the Luca I knew at all.
"Who are you?"
"Someone who does what he has to do to survive."
"By betraying innocent people?"
"By choosing the winning side."
"My mother wasn't on the losing side!"
"Wasn't she?"
The coldness in his voice made me step back.
"She was getting too close to the truth," he continued. "Too close to exposing the operation."
"What operation?"
"The one that's been running for twenty years. The one that put you in foster care. The one that made Agent Chen disappear."
"Agent Chen didn't disappear. She raised me."
"Agent Chen died the same night as your mother."
"What?"
"The woman who raised you isn't Agent Chen. She's someone else entirely."
My legs felt weak.
"That's impossible."
"Is it?"
"I would know!"
"Would you? You were four years old."
"I would remember!"
"Children forget traumatic things."
"Stop it!"
"Your mother died. Agent Chen died. And you were given to someone who looked enough like Chen to fool a traumatized child."
"You're lying!"
"Am I?"
Luca stepped away from the wall. He walked toward me slowly.
"Think about it, Maya. Why don't you remember anything from before you were five? Why don't you have any pictures of yourself before then?"
"Because there was a fire!"
"What fire?"
"Agent Chen told me there was a fire. All the pictures burned."
"How convenient."
"It's true!"
"Maya, there was no fire."
I wanted to hit him. To scream. To run away.
But I couldn't move.
"Then where are the pictures?"
"There aren't any."
"Why not?"
"Because the woman who raised you isn't your aunt. She's just someone who looked enough like her to fool everyone."
"Including me?"
"Especially you."
I felt sick.
"If Agent Chen is dead, then who raised me?"
Luca smiled. But it wasn't his charming smile. This one was cruel.
"Someone who owed Isabella Romano a favor."
"Who?"
"Someone who was very good at pretending to care about you."
"Who?"
"Someone who was watching you the whole time. Waiting for the right moment."
"What moment?"
"To bring you back home."
"This isn't my home!"
"Isn't it? You're here, aren't you?"
I was breathing too fast. Everything was spinning.
"Maya," Luca said softly. "Sit down before you fall down."
I didn't sit. But I did lean against the wall.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you asked."
"Why now?"
"Because it's time you knew the truth."
"What truth?"
Luca walked even closer. Close enough to touch.
"Your mother was beautiful," he said, reaching out to touch my face. "Just like you."
I tried to pull away, but the wall was behind me.
"Right before she died."