Chapter 7: The Brother Who Vanished
“My brother.””
The words stayed in the air between us.
I waited for Luca to explain.
He didn’t.
That was becoming his favorite habit.
Dropping a sentence into my life like a grenade and then standing there while I tried to figure out which direction the explosion would come from.
I folded my arms.
“Your brother is looking for me.””
Luca nodded once.
“And you thought that was something I should find out after you showed up at my apartment?””
“I was trying to confirm something first.””
“You mean you were trying to control the situation.””
His jaw tightened.
“Yes.””
The honesty caught me off guard.
Most people would have denied it.
Would have softened it.
Luca Moretti simply admitted things.
Even the ugly ones.
“Who is he?””
Luca looked away.
That scared me more than anything.
Because I had seen Luca face angry men.
Threats.
Danger.
But this question made him uncomfortable.
“His name is Matteo.””
The name meant nothing.
Until Luca continued.
“Matteo Moretti was my older brother.””
“Was?””
A pause.
“He disappeared fourteen years ago.””
I stared at him.
“Disappeared?””
“Yes.””
“And now he’s back?””
“We don’t know.””
I laughed quietly.
“You don’t know?””
Luca looked at me.
“People who disappear usually don’t send photographs of women they’ve been watching.””
My skin crawled.
“Why would he watch me?””
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“No, you’re trying to protect yourself.””
His eyes narrowed.
“Explain.””
“You’re scared because your brother knows something about me. Not because he knows something about me.””
For a moment, Luca said nothing.
Then he looked impressed.
That irritated me.
“What?””
“You’re observant.””
“I’m a waitress.””
“That’s not an answer.””
“It is when your job requires noticing when someone is about to complain because their steak is three minutes late.””
A tiny smile appeared.
Then disappeared.
“Matteo was different from me.””
“How?””
Luca walked toward my window.
Rain tapped softly against the glass.
“My father raised us to believe power was everything.””
“And you believed him?””
“I had to.””
The answer was quiet.
Too quiet.
“But Matteo…”
He stopped.
“What?””
“He believed fear was more useful than respect.””
I swallowed.
“And you?””
Luca looked back at me.
“I learned the difference.””
I wanted to believe that.
I didn’t know why.
Maybe because of Leo.
Maybe because I had seen him hold his son.
Maybe because dangerous men weren’t supposed to look guilty when talking about the past.
“Why does Matteo care about my necklace?””
Luca’s expression changed.
“Because it belonged to my mother.””
I touched the pendant.
“But my grandmother had it.””
“Yes.””
“How?””
“That’s what we need to discover.””
The word “we” bothered me.
Because somehow, without agreeing, I had become part of this.
“I’m not involved.””
Luca looked at me.
“You already are.””
“I didn’t choose this.””
“No.””
His voice softened.
“But neither did Leo.””
That stopped me.
I hated that he used his son as a reason.
Because it worked.
“What does Leo have to do with me?””
Luca looked down.
For a moment, he looked like a father instead of a powerful man.
“After his mother died, he stopped speaking.””
I blinked.
“Speaking?””
“Not completely. He’s ten months old. He babbled before.””
He swallowed.
“But he stopped laughing. Stopped reaching for people.””
My chest tightened.
“And then?””
“You walked into Aurelia.””
I looked away.
“That doesn’t mean anything.””
“It does to him.””
“Luca—”
“No.””
The firmness in his voice stopped me.
“He recognized something.””
“Babies don’t recognize family history.””
“Maybe not.””
He stepped closer.
“But people do.””
Before I could answer, his phone rang.
He checked the screen.
His expression changed instantly.
“What?””
A voice spoke on the other end.
Luca listened.
Then his face hardened.
“Are you sure?””
Another pause.
“Send me everything.””
He hung up.
“What happened?””
He didn’t answer immediately.
That was enough.
“Luca.””
He looked at me.
“We found Matteo.””
The room felt smaller.
“Where?””
“He wants to meet.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why?””
Luca looked toward the necklace.
“Because he knows something about your mother.””
“And you’re going?””
“Yes.””
“I’m coming.””
“No.””
The answer was immediate.
I almost smiled.
“Funny.””
“What?””
“You’re always telling people what they can do.””
“And you’re always ignoring me.””
“Maybe we have that in common.””
His eyes met mine.
For a second, neither of us moved.
Then Luca sighed.
“You don’t understand what Matteo is capable of.””
“And you don’t understand what it feels like to spend twenty-seven years not knowing your own life.””
That hit him.
I saw it.
A tiny crack.
A reminder that I wasn’t just a problem to solve.
I was a person.
“I’m coming,” I repeated.
Luca stared at me.
May you like
Then quietly said:
“That might be the reason he wants you there.””
