Chapter 149

Chapter 149


"Find him. I don't care what it takes." Rafael's voice sliced through the tight-lipped silence like a knife. Dark eyes impaled the head investigator who stood before him. "I want my son back. No more delays, no more excuses."

The investigator nodded, his face unruffled as grave. "We have already extended the search from Florence. We'll comb every lead that comes in.

“Not good enough," Rafael snapped, "I need results, not promises. Whoever kidnapped him didn't just stumble upon this opportunity. They knew exactly what they were doing. They knew Luca."

Bernice sat on the couch, her hands clasped tight in her lap, her eyes darting from Rafael to the investigator with a feeling of dread churning in her chest. It was getting to be a war in many ways, and she felt like a bystander.

"This isn't the first time," she whispered.

Both men turned toward her.

"What are you insinuating?" Rafael asked as furrows creased his brow, his eyes narrowing.

Her voice came out in a croak; her throat was dry. "Luca was kidnapped once before. He was just a toddler. It was in Florence,  We thought it was a random act, a failed ransom attempt… but it wasn't."

Rafael's jaw clenched, and with another step, he dominated the space between them. "Why didn't you tell me this before?

She met his gaze, guilt and fear mingling in her eyes. "I thought it was behind us. He was returned unharmed, and we moved on. But… I think this is unconnected.".

, “You're just now telling me this?!? " Rafael's voice rose with frustration lining his face as he paced around the room, running his hands through his dark hair. "We could have used this information days ago!

"I didn't know!" Bernice rose, trembling. "I hadn't noticed until now that this could be more than Luca; I thought this was over.

The investigator cleared his throat. "If it's something from the past, we'd like to know about it. Anything you remember."

Bernice nodded, fighting to keep her tears at bay. "He was snatched away from me on the was fro. Kindergarten and we were able to rescue him later.
She didn't want to tell him Ethan and Olivia were suspects,  because he wouldn't believe her. She wanted him to figure it out himself 

Rafael's eyes went dark. "And you never once thought this might have something to do with us?

"We didn't know whom to trust, Rafael!" exclaimed Bernice. "I thought then that it was safer to keep quiet. But now." Her voice died as she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Now, I feel someone has been following us from then on.” 

Rafael stared hard into her for quite a long while before he turned to the investigator. "I want complete background checks on everybody around us, past and present. If there's somebody inside feeding information out, I want to know who it is."

"Yes, sir," said the investigator. "We shall begin immediately.

No sooner had the detectives left than thick silence reigned in that room. Rafael had gone to stand by the window. Outside, the sprawl of the city of Rome stretched out, with gold-smeared light sprinkling warmth on every rooftop and doing very little to thaw ice that had taken residence within his chest.

Bernice neared him tentatively. "You really think someone in this house is involved?

I don't think. I know." Rafael's voice was cold, his eyes hard. "Too many coincidences. Too much information getting out. Someone close to us is working against us."

She crossed her arms over her chest, as if that might ward off the growing chill. "What if we're wrong? What if Luca's disappearance has nothing to do with the past?

Rafael swung to her, his eyes fierce with intensity. "Do you want to take that chance? Because I do not. Not when our kids are concerned."

It had been a kick to her solar plexus. Turning away, she humped her lip hard into her teeth and battled with rising sobs. "I just want Luca back."

"We will get him back," Rafael said, matter-of-factly. "But I won't stop there. Whoever's behind this will pay.

She quailed at the anger in his voice yet felt comforted, after all, Rafael's determination remained strong, he would do whatever it would take.

\---

Later in the night, Bernice walked down the passages of the mansion, the weight of her thoughts burdening her. The footsteps replayed in her mind the same as on the night when Luca was kidnapped for the first time-and how incapable she felt. She stopped at Mia's room and peeked inside at her daughter sleeping heavily.

A soft voice said, "She is beautiful."

Standing behind her was Madam Alice, the head housekeeper, smiling softly.

"She is," Bernice whispered low, with pain in her heart.

Madam Alice moved closer and laid her reassuring hand on Bernice's shoulder. "You have always been a good mother. The kids, Luca and Mia, are lucky to have you."

A lump rose in her throat. "I don't feel strong right now; I feel like I'm losing everything."

"You are not," Madam Alice soothed her, "for you have Rafael behind your back, and with him, you two find Luca. Do not lose hope."

At compulsion, Bernice smiled, though her heart had dropped. "Thanks, Alice."

She nodded and left Bernice in silence once again.

Rafael sat at his desk in the office, flipping through the files. His mind whirled with strategy and suspicions. He lifted the phone, dialed a secure line.

"It's Rafael. I need you to put full surveillance within the house. Discreetly. I want every entrance covered, every corridor. I think we are dealing with an inside enemy, one that knows us too well.

A voice on the other end of the line confirmed the order, and Rafael leaned back in his chair, a million scenarios running through his mind.

There was a mole inside screwing him over-he could smell it. And he would find out who, soon enough.

His reverie was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," he called.

Madame Alice entered with a tray in her hands, upon which rested a teapot and cups. She set it in front of him, studying his every movement. "You sound tired."

"I'm all right," he replied shortly.

A moment later, she whispered her next question: "You still love Bernice, don't you?"

Rafael's eyes settled on hers. He had nothing to say.

"You always have," Alice elucidated. "Through it all that went on, you have."

Rafael blew out a slow breath. "She's the mother of my kids."

"And more than that," Alice replied, knowing, "do not let pride stand in the way of what is important."

And with that, she was out the door, leaving Rafael staring at it long after. Pride had once burned him, and he would not let it do so again.

Now firm in his resolution, whoever this belonged to would see it was a decision they came to regret having ever made toward his family.

"It is not over," he muttered low, unrelenting.