Chapter 3: The Man Wearing My Father's Watch
I couldn't move.
Dmitri stood on the other side of the glass, speaking calmly to Detective Collins.
His black suit was immaculate. His hair was neatly combed. He looked like the kind of man who could stand outside a billionaire's bedroom for twelve hours without blinking.
But now I knew something.
He was wearing my father's watch.
A silver Omega with a small scratch near the twelve.
I remembered it from childhood.
My father wore it every Sunday. He used to let me hold his wrist while he adjusted the time.
After the funeral, it disappeared.
I had assumed it was buried with him.
“That's my father's watch,” I whispered.
Victor nodded.
“I know.””
“How did Dmitri get it?””
“I don't know.””
“Then why are you standing here instead of asking him?””
Victor's expression hardened.
“Because Dmitri has spent twelve years protecting me. If he's involved, he's not working alone.””
Outside, Dmitri suddenly turned toward the window.
His eyes met mine.
He smiled.
Not a friendly smile.
A warning.
Then he raised his wrist and tapped the watch face twice.
My stomach twisted.
Victor stood immediately.
“Get away from the window.””
“What?””
“Now!””
A loud crash erupted outside.
Detective Collins fell against the wall as the interrogation room door flew open.
Dmitri stepped inside.
His right hand was hidden inside his jacket.
“Mr. Romano,” he said politely.
“We need to leave.””
Victor moved between him and me.
“We're not going anywhere.””
Dmitri glanced at the envelope on the table.
“What's that?””
“Nothing that concerns you.””
“Then you won't mind if I take a look.””
He reached for it.
Victor grabbed his wrist.
For a moment, the two men stood motionless.
Then Dmitri leaned closer.
“You should have stayed dead, Victor.””
Victor's face went cold.
“So it was you.””
Dmitri pulled his arm free.
“You really should have listened to Leon.””
I backed toward the wall.
“Why do you have my father's watch?””
Dmitri looked at me.
“Your father gave it to me.””
“That's a lie!””
“Is it?””
He removed the watch and placed it on the table.
“There are things about your father you don't understand, little girl.””
Victor stepped forward.
“Don't speak to her.””
Dmitri ignored him.
“Daniel Hart wasn't the innocent accountant you think he was. He helped build the company that made Victor rich. He also helped destroy the people who got in their way.””
I shook my head.
“My father would never hurt anyone.””
Dmitri laughed quietly.
“That's what he wanted you to believe.””
Victor grabbed Dmitri by the collar.
“Enough.””
But Dmitri didn't look frightened.
Instead, he reached into his pocket and produced a small black device.
He pressed a button.
The lights went out.
Someone screamed in the hallway.
A second later, the emergency lights flickered on.
Dmitri was gone.
So was the envelope.
Victor cursed and ran toward the door.
“Stay here!””
I ignored him.
I followed.
The hallway was chaos. Two officers were helping Detective Collins, who had been knocked unconscious. A security camera hung from the ceiling by its wires.
Victor reached the stairwell and looked down.
“Dmitri!””
No answer.
Then my phone vibrated.
I had forgotten it was still in my pocket.
An unknown number.
One message.
You should have stayed out of your father's business.
A second message appeared.
Your mother knew the truth. Ask Victor what happened the night she died.
I stared at the screen.
My mother.
The woman who had spent the last two years of her life terrified of every unexpected phone call.
The woman who had begged me never to visit New York.
I turned toward Victor.
“What happened to my mother?””
He stopped.
His face told me everything before he spoke.
“Lena, there's something I need to tell you.””
“Don't.””
“Your mother came to see me three days before she died.””
I felt the floor shift beneath my feet.
“You said you didn't know my family.””
“I lied.””
“Why?””
“She had discovered that your father might still be alive.””
My breath caught.
“What?””
Victor looked toward the stairwell.
“She believed Leon had arranged your father's disappearance. She also believed he was planning to eliminate anyone who knew the truth.””
I grabbed Victor's sleeve.
“Why didn't you protect her?””
His expression crumbled.
“Because I arrived too late.””
I stepped away.
“You let her die.””
“I tried to stop it.””
“You let my mother die!””
My voice echoed down the hallway.
Victor didn't defend himself.
He simply reached into his coat and pulled out another photograph.
This one showed my mother sitting inside a hospital room.
Beside her stood a man with dark hair and a scar across his left eyebrow.
I recognized him immediately.
My father.
Alive.
The photograph was dated three weeks after his supposed funeral.
I looked at Victor.
“Where was this taken?””
“St. Catherine's Medical Center.””
“Where is that?””
“Upstate. A private facility.””
I stared at the picture.
My father was wearing a hospital gown. His face looked thinner, but there was no mistaking him.
“Is he still there?””
Victor hesitated.
“Lena, I need you to understand something. If this photograph is genuine, then someone has been hiding him from the world for five years.””
“Who?””
Before Victor could answer, Detective Collins approached us.
She held a phone in her hand.
“Mr. Romano, we've got a problem.””
Victor turned.
“What now?””
She showed him the screen.
It was a live security feed from the Grandeur Hotel's underground parking garage.
A black SUV was parked beside Victor's car.
Two men were loading something into the trunk.
Then one of them turned toward the camera.
It was Leon Mercer.
The other man was wearing a hospital identification bracelet.
My heart stopped.
Because when he lifted his face toward the camera, I recognized the scar above his left eyebrow.
My father.
Alive.
And standing beside the man who had supposedly killed him.
Victor whispered, “Oh, God.””
Then the video went black.
A message appeared across the screen.
*IF YOU WANT DANIEL HART ALIVE, COME ALONE.*
May you like
Victor reached for his phone.
But I was already running toward the exit.
