Pierced to kill

CHAPTER 6:A NAME WRITTEN IN BLOOD

"No." The word escaped my lips before I could stop it. I stared at the photograph, then at Dante, then back at the photograph again. "No... this isn't funny." "It wasn't meant to be." I shoved the picture back into his chest. "That's not me." "It looks exactly like you." "Lots of people look alike." "Not like this." "I said it's not me!" The photograph slipped from his fingers and floated onto the balcony floor. The little girl's smiling face stared back at me. My chest tightened. I wanted to tear it into a thousand pieces. Instead, I looked away.

"My name is Aurora Moretti." Dante crossed his arms. "Is it?" "I know who I am." "Do you?" His question hit harder than I expected. "You said you woke up in an orphanage two days after your parents died." "So?" "So who confirmed your identity?" I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. Because... I didn't know. "I..." My voice faltered. "The nuns knew who I was." "Did they?" "Yes." "Or did someone tell them?" I took a step back. "No." "Think carefully." "Did anyone from your family survive to identify you?" "No." "Any relatives?" "No." "Birth certificate?" "I..." I couldn't answer. The orphanage had always handled those things. I had never questioned it. Why would I?

Dante bent down, picked up the photograph, and gently brushed the dust from its edges. "I'm not saying you're my sister." "Then what are you saying?" "I'm saying someone wanted you to disappear." He handed the photograph back to me. "This child vanished the same night my father was murdered." "And the same night your family supposedly died." "Two little girls." "One disappeared." "One appeared." My pulse pounded in my ears. Coincidence. It had to be. Didn't it? "I don't believe you." "You don't have to." His expression softened just enough to surprise me. "But if you're right, I'll let you leave." "And if you're wrong?" His eyes met mine. "Then you've spent fifteen years hunting the wrong man."

The following morning... Sleep never came. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the photograph. The smile. The pendant. The name. Isabella De Luca.

Rosa entered my room carrying breakfast. "You look exhausted." "I didn't sleep." She noticed the photograph in my hands. The tray slipped from her fingers. Porcelain shattered across the floor. Her face turned white. "Where..." Her voice trembled. "Where did you get that?" I stood immediately. "You know this girl?" Rosa covered her mouth. Tears filled her eyes. "Oh, dear God..." "Tell me." She shook her head repeatedly. "I can't." "You can." "I gave my word." "To who?"

Before she could answer, the bedroom door opened. Dante stepped inside. The moment Rosa saw him, she lowered her head. "I'm sorry, young master." "I didn't mean to..." "It's alright." "No." Rosa looked between us. "It's not alright anymore." She took a shaky breath. "I've kept this secret for fifteen years." "I can't keep it any longer."

Dante's expression hardened. "Rosa." "Don't." She ignored him. "The night your father died..." She looked directly at me. "...I was there." Every muscle in my body froze. "I saw the little girl." "The one in the photograph." "She wasn't dead." My heart slammed against my ribs. "What happened to her?" Rosa closed her eyes. "I don't know." "I was ordered to run." "Someone handed the child to another woman." "They told her..." Her voice cracked. "'Take her far away." "'If they find her..." "'They'll finish what they started.'"

The room became unbearably silent. Dante slowly turned toward Rosa. "Why didn't you tell me?" "Because your father ordered me never to." "My father died that night." She nodded. "But his last order remained." Dante looked away. For the first time, he seemed... hurt. Not because of me. Because someone he trusted had hidden the truth.

Hours later... the De Luca mansion buzzed with activity. Search teams had spread across the city looking for Bianca. None had returned with good news. I wandered into the mansion's enormous library. Rows upon rows of ancient books stretched toward the ceiling. I traced my fingers across the shelves. History. Politics. Medicine. Law. Then one title caught my eye. The Five Families. I pulled it free. A folded piece of paper slipped from between the pages. Curious, I unfolded it. It wasn't paper. It was a family tree.

At the top... De Luca Bloodline. My eyes drifted downward. Lorenzo De Luca. His wife. Their children. Dante De Luca. Bianca De Luca. And... another name. Isabella De Luca. A red line had been drawn through it. Someone had written a single word beside the name. DECEASED.

A chill crawled up my spine. Footsteps echoed behind me. I turned. Luca stood in the doorway. He looked at the document in my hands. His face fell. "You weren't supposed to see that." "I need answers." He hesitated. Then quietly closed the library doors. "I've served the De Luca family for twenty years." "I watched Dante grow up." "I watched him bury his father." "And I watched him search for his missing sister." My breathing stopped. "Sister?" Luca nodded. "Her name was Isabella." "She disappeared the night of the massacre." He looked straight at me. "When I first saw you..." "I thought I was seeing a ghost."

Before I could ask another question, alarms blared throughout the mansion. Not the attack alarms. Different ones. Urgent. A guard's voice thundered through the intercom. "Boss!" "We found Miss Bianca!" Relief flooded Luca's face. Then the guard spoke again. "She's alive..." A pause. "...but she's not alone." Dante's voice crackled over the speaker. "Who is with her?" The answer came seconds later. "Sir..." "The man says he'll only release Miss Bianca..." "...if Aurora Moretti comes alone."

My blood turned to ice. Whoever was behind this wasn't interested in money. They weren't interested in the De Luca empire. They wanted me. And somehow... they knew exactly where I was.