Chapter 4 - The Mafia Boss's Imprisoned Brother Knew Who Had Taken Elena's Mother—But When Dominic Entered the Visiting Room, the Prisoner Revealed a Betrayal Nobody ExpectedThe first time I saw Julian Vale, I understood why Dominic rarely spoke about his family.
The brothers looked alike.
The same dark hair.
The same gray eyes.
The same broad shoulders.
But where Dominic's expression carried the weight of old pain, Julian's face held something colder.
Amusement.
The kind that didn't reach his eyes.
He sat behind a thick glass partition in a correctional facility north of New York City.
A telephone rested beside his hand.
He smiled when he saw Dominic.
"Well."
Dominic didn't sit.
Julian leaned forward.
"My big brother finally remembers I exist."
Dominic picked up the phone.
"Where is Margaret Brooks?"
Julian's smile faded slightly.
"Straight to business?"
"Where is she?"
Julian glanced toward me.
Then smiled again.
"And who's the pretty girl?"
I felt Dominic stiffen beside me.
"Don't."
Julian laughed.
"Relax. I'm making conversation."
I picked up the second telephone.
"My name is Elena Brooks."
Julian's expression changed.
For the first time, he looked genuinely surprised.
"Brooks?"
I nodded.
"Thomas Brooks was my father."
The smile disappeared.
Julian stared.
Then slowly leaned back.
"Well."
His voice became quiet.
"That's unfortunate."
My stomach tightened.
"Why?"
He looked at Dominic.
"Because if she's Thomas's daughter, you've brought her directly into the fire."
Dominic sat beside me.
"Tell us what you know."
Julian studied him.
"You never were good at asking nicely."
"Julian."
"All right."
He leaned forward.
"Margaret Brooks was taken because someone believes she has the original shipping records."
I swallowed.
"Who?"
Julian smiled faintly.
"Victor Sloane."
Dominic's jaw tightened.
"Where is he?"
Julian shrugged.
"Last I heard, Manhattan."
I stared.
"He's still in New York?"
"Of course."
Dominic looked furious.
Julian continued.
"Victor has spent years building respectable businesses around the money he stole."
I gripped the phone.
"Why did he kill my father?"
Julian's expression changed.
For a moment, the amusement disappeared.
Then he said:
"Because Thomas refused to stay quiet."
My eyes filled.
Julian looked down.
"He wasn't supposed to die."
I froze.
"What?"
Julian swallowed.
"Victor wanted the records. Thomas refused to give them up. Things escalated."
I stared.
"You were involved."
He didn't answer.
My voice rose.
"You were involved!"
Dominic touched my arm.
I pulled away.
"No."
I looked directly at Julian.
"My father died in a fire. My mother spent ten years working herself sick. My sister grew up without him."
Julian's face tightened.
"And you sit there smiling?"
For the first time, he looked ashamed.
"Elena—"
"Don't say my name."
The room went silent.
Then Julian whispered:
"I'm sorry."
I laughed bitterly.
"That doesn't bring him back."
"No."
His eyes lowered.
"It doesn't."
Julian eventually told us what happened.
Victor Sloane had controlled several illegal shipping arrangements through Vale Maritime Logistics.
Thomas Brooks discovered irregularities.
Amelia Cross began investigating.
Julian, desperate to prove himself worthy of his father's business empire, agreed to help Victor conceal the transactions.
He claimed he didn't understand how far Victor would go.
I didn't know whether to believe him.
But I knew he had made choices.
And those choices had destroyed lives.
Dominic listened without interrupting.
Then asked:
"Did you arrange the attack on Amelia?"
Julian's expression changed.
"No."
Dominic stared.
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm not."
"Victor used your people."
"I know."
"Then you knew."
Julian looked down.
"I knew he wanted her stopped."
Dominic's voice became dangerously quiet.
"Stopped how?"
Julian swallowed.
"I didn't ask."
The silence was unbearable.
Then Dominic said:
"That's the answer, isn't it?"
Julian closed his eyes.
"You don't have to give the order yourself if you know what someone intends to do."
Julian began crying.
I watched Dominic's expression.
For a moment, I saw the younger brother he had once loved.
Then the man responsible for helping destroy that love.
Dominic stood.
"We're done."
Julian looked up.
"Wait."
Dominic stopped.
Julian leaned forward.
"There's something you need to know."
Dominic stared.
"What?"
Julian swallowed.
"Amelia wasn't in the car when it exploded."
My heart stopped.
Dominic went completely still.
"What?"
Julian's voice shook.
"She got out before the second blast."
Dominic stared.
"That's impossible."
"I saw the security footage."
His face drained of color.
"Where is she?"
Julian looked at me.
Then back at Dominic.
"Victor took her."
We left the prison in silence.
Dominic didn't speak during the drive.
Neither did I.
The city moved past the windows.
Cars.
Buildings.
People living ordinary lives.
I wondered how many of them were carrying secrets nobody else could imagine.
Finally, Dominic spoke.
"Seven years."
I looked at him.
He stared straight ahead.
"Seven years, I believed she died."
My chest tightened.
"Dominic."
He shook his head.
"I buried an empty coffin."
I swallowed.
"Maybe Julian is lying."
Dominic looked at me.
"Maybe."
But we both knew the possibility was real.
And that possibility was enough to reopen every wound he'd spent years trying to close.
That evening, Marcus received a call from an investigator working with the police.
My mother's phone had been located.
It was found in a trash container near a private medical clinic in Manhattan.
The clinic belonged to a holding company.
That holding company was connected to Victor Sloane.
I stared at the report.
"She's there."
Dominic looked at me.
"We don't know that."
"But she might be."
"Yes."
I stood.
"Then we have to go."
Dominic rose too.
"Elena."
I turned.
His expression softened.
"We need to let the investigators handle this."
I swallowed.
"She's my mother."
"I know."
"No, you don't."
He stopped.
I immediately regretted the words.
Because of course he knew what it meant to lose someone.
He knew too well.
I lowered my head.
"I'm sorry."
Dominic approached.
"You don't need to apologize for being afraid."
I looked up.
He took my hands.
"But I won't let you walk into danger without a plan."
My eyes filled.
"And what if we wait too long?"
His expression tightened.
"Then we'll live with that fear together."
I stared.
Together.
The word frightened me more than I wanted to admit.
Because it suggested something I had been trying very hard not to think about.
That I was beginning to trust him.
Not because he was wealthy.
Not because he was powerful.
But because he kept showing up.
Even when the truth hurt.
Later that night, I found Dominic in the garden.
Rain had stopped.
The air smelled of wet leaves.
He stood beside a stone fountain.
His scar was visible beneath the moonlight.
I approached quietly.
"Couldn't sleep?"
He shook his head.
"Neither could I."
For a moment, we stood together.
Then I asked:
"Do you think Amelia is alive?"
He looked toward the trees.
"I don't know."
I swallowed.
"What if she is?"
Dominic turned.
His expression changed.
I immediately wished I hadn't asked.
But the question mattered.
Because somewhere between the kitchen and the prison, my feelings had become complicated.
I cared about him.
More than I should.
More than was sensible.
And if Amelia was alive, she belonged to a chapter of his life that had never truly ended.
Dominic studied me.
"Elena."
I looked down.
"You don't have to answer."
He stepped closer.
"I want to."
My heart pounded.
He took a breath.
"If Amelia is alive, I need to know what happened to her."
I nodded.
"Of course."
"And I need to help her if she's in danger."
"Yes."
He paused.
"But that doesn't change what I feel when I'm with you."
I stopped breathing.
Dominic looked almost nervous.
"I haven't laughed the way I laughed in my kitchen for years."
My eyes filled.
He continued.
"I haven't looked forward to seeing someone walk through a door."
He swallowed.
"And I haven't wanted to be seen as an ordinary man in a very long time."
I looked at his scar.
Then at his eyes.
"Dominic."
He stepped closer.
"Elena, I don't know what this is yet."
I smiled through tears.
"Neither do I."
His expression softened.
"But I know I don't want you to disappear from my life."
My heart felt too full.
I reached for his hand.
He held it.
For a long moment, neither of us moved.
Then Dominic leaned forward.
Slowly.
Giving me time to step away.
I didn't.
Our first kiss was gentle.
Uncertain.
Nothing like the dramatic kisses in movies.
It was quieter.
More frightening.
Because it felt real.
When we separated, Dominic rested his forehead against mine.
I laughed softly.
"What?"
He smiled.
"Nothing."
"You're smiling."
"Apparently."
I touched his cheek.
Carefully.
Near the scar.
He went still.
I pulled my hand back.
"Sorry."
He caught my fingers.
"Don't."
I looked at him.
He guided my hand back to his face.
And closed his eyes.
For a moment, I understood how much that simple touch meant.
The next morning, the police entered the private clinic with a warrant.
They found evidence of fraudulent patient records.
Restricted rooms.
Financial documents.
And signs that people had recently been moved.
But my mother wasn't there.
Neither was Amelia.
Instead, investigators found a handwritten note inside a locked office.
It was addressed to Dominic.
YOU SHOULD HAVE LET HER DIE SEVEN YEARS AGO.
Beneath it was a photograph.
Amelia Cross.
Older.
Thinner.
But unmistakably alive.
She stood beside my mother.
Both women looked frightened.
I stared.
"Mom."
Dominic's hand tightened around mine.
Then Marcus received another message.
A video.
Victor Sloane appeared on the screen.
Silver hair.
Expensive suit.
A gold watch.
He smiled.
"Dominic."
Dominic's expression hardened.
Victor continued.
"I hear you've been asking questions."
His smile widened.
"That's unfortunate."
Then the camera shifted.
My mother sat in a chair.
Her hands were bound.
I screamed.
"Mom!"
Dominic gripped my arm.
Victor's voice returned.
"Bring me the original records."
He leaned toward the camera.
"And Dominic?"
A pause.
"Bring the girl."
The video ended.
I stared at the blank screen.
My mother was alive.
Amelia was alive.
May you like
And Victor Sloane wanted me.
End of Chapter 4.
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