The Missing File
1359 Words
"It's gone."
The words seemed to echo through the room.
Izzy stared at Rosa.
No.
No, that couldn't be right.
The file had been in Adrian's office.
Inside a heavily guarded mansion.
How could someone just walk in and take it?
Adrian's face had gone completely still.
It was somehow more terrifying than when he was angry.
"Who found it missing?" he asked quietly.
"I did," Rosa said.
"I brought tea to your office and the drawer was open."
Marco and Luca appeared from opposite sides of the hallway.
Both immediately sensed something was wrong.
"What happened?" Luca asked.
"The file's gone," Adrian said.
The color drained from his face.
"No."
"Yes."
"Are we talking about the file?"
"Yes."
"Oh, that's bad."
Marco looked grim.
"Very bad."
Izzy hated that everyone seemed to know exactly how serious this was.
"Can someone explain why?"
Four sets of eyes turned toward her.
Adrian sighed.
"The file contains information about your mother."
"I know."
"It also contains names."
She frowned.
"What names?"
Silence.
Her stomach dropped.
"What names?"
"The names of people involved."
A chill ran through her.
"You mean the people who killed her."
No one answered.
That was answer enough.
Her pulse began to race.
"So whoever stole it now knows what I know."
"And what you don't know," Adrian said.
"Which is?"
"Almost everything."
Wonderful.
Just wonderful.
Adrian turned toward Marco.
"Lock down the estate."
"Already started."
"No one leaves."
Luca nodded.
"I'll check security footage."
Adrian looked at him.
"Everything."
"I'm on it."
Within seconds, both men disappeared down the hallway.
The mansion suddenly felt much bigger.
And much less safe.
Izzy wrapped her arms around herself.
"Who would do this?"
Adrian looked at her.
"I don't know."
"Someone inside?"
"Possibly."
"Then what do we do?"
His expression darkened.
"We find them."
The certainty in his voice should've been reassuring.
Instead, it made her nervous.
Because he sounded like a man who always found what he was looking for.
And she wasn't sure she wanted to know what happened afterward.
Rosa touched her arm gently.
"Why don't I make us some tea?"
The offer was so normal that Izzy almost laughed.
Her world was falling apart.
And Rosa wanted tea.
Oddly enough…
Tea sounded perfect.
"I'd like that."
Rosa smiled softly and disappeared into the kitchen.
The moment they were alone, silence settled between them.
Then—
"You should've told me."
Adrian looked at her.
"Told you what?"
"How dangerous this is."
A shadow crossed his face.
"I was trying to protect you."
"There seems to be a lot of that going around."
His expression softened slightly.
"Izzy—"
"My father did it."
She looked down.
"He spent my whole life hiding things because he thought he was protecting me."
She looked back up.
"And look where it got us."
The words hit him.
She could tell.
Because his face changed.
"You think I'm making the same mistake."
She didn't answer.
Because she did.
He exhaled slowly.
"You deserve the truth."
"Then tell me."
Silence.
For a long moment, he simply looked at her.
Then—
"Your mother came to me."
Her breath caught.
"What?"
"About six months before she died."
She stared.
"You knew my mother?"
"I did."
"How?"
"Through your father."
Everything suddenly felt unreal.
"What happened?"
His jaw tightened.
"She was frightened."
"Of what?"
"The Morettis."
Her pulse quickened.
"Why?"
"She discovered something."
"What?"
He hesitated.
"I don't know."
She blinked.
"You don't know?"
"No."
"You expect me to believe that?"
A small smile appeared.
"Apparently not."
She crossed her arms.
"Try again."
A soft laugh escaped him.
That stupid laugh.
Why did she like it?
"I know she found financial records."
"What kind?"
"I never saw them."
"And then?"
"She said she had proof of something."
"What?"
"Izzy."
She frowned.
"I really don't know."
For some reason, she believed him.
"She was scared?"
"Terrified."
The word hit hard.
Her mother had always seemed fearless.
Warm.
Steady.
The idea of her being afraid hurt.
"What did you tell her?"
"I told her I'd help."
"And did you?"
A long silence followed.
"No."
The answer was so quiet she almost didn't hear it.
She looked at him.
His eyes had darkened.
"You blame yourself."
He didn't answer.
"You think her death is your fault."
Still nothing.
Which meant yes.
"Adrian…"
"I should've protected her."
"You couldn't have known."
"I should've."
The rawness in his voice surprised her.
This wasn't the feared mafia boss.
This was a man carrying guilt.
A lot of it.
Suddenly, she understood something.
He wasn't protecting her because of a promise.
Or a debt.
He was protecting her because he believed he'd failed her mother.
And he wasn't going to fail her too.
"You've been carrying this for twenty years."
He looked away.
"Something like that."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then she did something unexpected.
She touched his hand.
He froze.
So did she.
Neither of them moved.
"You couldn't save everyone," she said softly.
His gaze lifted to hers.
The room suddenly felt very small.
Very quiet.
Very dangerous.
Because she realized she didn't want to move her hand.
And he wasn't pulling away.
A throat cleared.
Loudly.
They both jumped apart.
Luca stood in the doorway holding a laptop.
He looked entirely too pleased.
"I have terrible timing."
Neither of them answered.
"Really awkward timing."
"Do you have something?" Adrian asked flatly.
Luca's smile disappeared.
"I do."
Immediately, the mood changed.
"What?"
Luca walked inside and opened the laptop.
Security footage filled the screen.
Several camera angles appeared.
The office.
The hallway.
The staircase.
Then—
"There."
A figure appeared on the screen.
Someone wearing dark clothes and a hood.
They entered Adrian's office.
A few minutes later, they left carrying a folder.
The file.
Izzy's heart pounded.
"Can you see their face?"
"No."
"Who is it?"
Luca looked grim.
"That's the problem."
He paused.
"They used a staff entrance."
Silence.
"Someone let them in."
The room went cold.
Marco walked in at that exact moment.
"I have worse news."
Everyone looked at him.
He held up a piece of paper.
"It was left in the office."
Adrian took it.
As he read it, his face became unreadable.
"What is it?" Izzy asked.
No answer.
"Adrian?"
Slowly, he handed her the note.
Her hands trembled as she read it.
Some secrets should stay buried.
Her stomach dropped.
Beneath the message was a single symbol.
A black raven.
She frowned.
"What does this mean?"
Silence.
Then Marco spoke.
"That's a Moretti symbol."
The room seemed to spin.
"They know," she whispered.
No one argued.
Because they all knew it was true.
Whoever stole the file wasn't just a thief.
The Morettis knew she existed.
And they had just sent a message.
A warning.
Or maybe…
A threat.
Then another thought struck her.
She looked up.
"They took the file because they don't want me learning the truth."
Adrian's eyes met hers.
"Yes."
"Which means the truth matters."
"Yes."
She swallowed hard.
"And if they don't want me finding it…"
A terrible silence filled the room.
Then Adrian finished her sentence.
"...then we're closer than we thought."
At that exact moment, a loud crash echoed from downstairs.
Everyone froze.
Then came shouting.
Another crash.
A gunshot.
Adrian's expression turned deadly.
"Stay here."
Not again.
She was getting really tired of hearing those words.
He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a gun.
Her eyes widened.
Luca and Marco did the same.
The entire atmosphere changed in an instant.
No more joking.
No more smiles.
These were dangerous men.
And someone had just brought the danger directly to their door.
Adrian looked at her one last time.
"Lock the door behind us."
"What if—"
"No matter what you hear… stay here."
Then he was gone.
Marco and Luca followed.
The room fell silent.
Then—
Another gunshot.
A scream.
And somewhere downstairs…
Someone shouted her name.
"IZZY CARTER!"
Her blood turned to ice.
Because she had never heard that voice before.
And somehow…
She knew they hadn't come for the file.
They had come for her.
- Writer
