Code Of Silence
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The sedan didn’t seem to slow down, and since the house wasn’t visible from the road, maybe they were in the clear. She held her breath a moment longer until the vehicle disappeared from sight.
She exhaled and dropped her head. What was she going to do?
“Are you okay?” Luke bent down to look into her eyes.
Gabriella brushed the escaping tear away with the heel of her hand. “Relatively speaking.”
His eyes narrowed. “Who was in the black sedan?”
She shook her head.
“Did he threaten you?” His right hand rested on her shoulder. “Gabriella, what happened? You’re shaking and pale.”
She tried to force a smile. It was imperative he think things were normal so she could convince him to leave. “Thanks for the compliment.” The attempted joke fell flat, though, as her voice shook.
He narrowed his eyes. “Did someone hurt you?”
Gabriella looked forward and focused on the trees swaying in the breeze, but it only served to remind her of the ticking clock. Twenty-four hours left until they killed her great-aunt, and she had no idea where to begin.
Who could she call? The police? The FBI? Absolutely not. Her mother and aunt had told her a thousand times that for every ten good officers, a crooked one took a deal. And Benito’s offhanded comments seemed to corroborate the sentiment.
She moved to get out of the car. Luke stood to make room for her. He held out a hand to help her.
Normally, she’d wave it away, but as heavy as her bones felt, she accepted. The strength in his grip as he gently pulled her to standing bolstered her determination. She would not let those men hurt her great-aunt Freddie—the woman had been like a second mother to her.
“Luke, it’s not a good time to look at the property after all. I’m sorry I wasted your time. I’ll call you to reschedule?”
Luke didn’t flinch, and his hand didn’t move from her wrist. “This isn’t business. I’m here as a friend. My receptionist said you were arguing with that man before you left, and the black sedan followed you. What happened?”
The question caused her stomach to lurch as she remembered Benito’s callous compartmentalization between business and family—if he even was actual family. She scoffed at the thought.
Luke’s gaze dropped to her wrist. “Gabriella, your pulse is pounding against my hand.” His blue eyes met hers as he flashed a smile. “And I don’t think it’s because of me.” His expression sobered. “You either need to give me some hint of what’s going on so I know you’re safe or I’m calling the police and reporting that sedan for suspicious behavior.”
He frowned and shook his head. “I haven’t seen you look like this since...”
He didn’t need to say it aloud. She knew he remembered the night they were dumped by their fiancés. Betrayed by those they loved.
“There’s no need to call the police.” Gabriella tugged her hand away from his touch. She couldn’t think of an explanation that would keep him in the dark while he had a finger on the beat of her heart, but she also didn’t want to lie to him. That was a nonnegotiable. She would never lie, and up until now, she thought her mother never did either.
“I am safe,” she said. At the moment.
He tilted his head. “Gabriella?”
She melted when he said her name. “Yes?”
“Are you sure you’re ready to sell?”
Oh, no. He thought she wanted to change her mind. But if she got her aunt out of this horrible situation, she’d still need Luke’s help. She couldn’t afford for him to think she was backing out.
She inhaled. This needed to be fast. “My mom’s bank accounts didn’t even hold enough money to cover the funeral costs. The property, as you know, is massive. And even though the deed is free and clear, I cleaned out my savings to pay for the property taxes that were due. My great-aunt has nothing to pay for her assisted living costs after September. I have no choice but to sell.” Her eyes widened. “And I basically just told you I’m desperate.”
He closed his eyes and his chin dipped. “I see why you would think that, but I didn’t interpret it like that. I asked as your friend.” He sighed. “But, if this property suits my needs, I promise to offer you a fair price. And I insist you ask other developers for bids.”
“I came to you in the first place because I trust you.”
He frowned. “Then what’s the problem? Why’d you leave so fast if you hadn’t changed your mind?”
This was the Luke she remembered. He never accepted simple answers. He always pursued the reasons and motivations until it made sense to him. Once, he followed their theology professor around and around the room, asking questions. He should’ve been a reporter. “I received some bad news about my great-aunt, and I need to make some unforeseen...arrangements.”
He raised his left eyebrow. “Is this about the assisted living bills?”
She cringed. There he went, getting the wrong idea. She could see the pity in his eyes. “No. It’s a private matter.”
Luke crossed his arms across his chest, his strength evident as his biceps bulged against the suit jacket. “At least let me see you inside and make you a cup of tea. You look like you could faint.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he held out a hand. “You don’t need to tell me any more if you don’t want to, but I hope you know that I’m a great listener.”
Unbidden memories sprang to mind: sitting together on a stone bench on campus after they’d just found out about their fiancés, organizing board game tournaments in the commons, studying at the library, laughing at the movie playing in the park. “I remember,” she said softly.
If she argued against his kindness any more, he would dig in his heels. Luke was as determined and stubborn as he was thoughtful and kind—probably why he succeeded in his career. She shrugged. “I have no idea what’s in the pantry. I haven’t been sleeping here, just stopping in on mornings to grab clothes.”
She wanted to spend as little time as possible in the house. While it was not much easier to stay with her aunt in assisted living, coming home without her mother and aunt there proved too painful to endure.
He turned to face the front door. “We’ll figure something out.”
Luke looked up, gazing at the house her best friend from high school had once described as “a rich person’s idea of getting back to nature.” She agreed it made for an impressive sight. The luxury log cabin with tall windows and a brick foundation looked gorgeous in front of the backdrop of lakes, mountains and pine trees.
He led her to the front door. His arm shot out, blocking her path.
“What?” she asked. “What is it?”
“Did you lock the door when you left? It’s slightly ajar.” He pulled a phone from his pocket.
Her eyes darted to the door. She put a hand on his arm. “I’m sure you don’t need to call the police.” Benito said they’d already checked the house. But even if someone else had robbed all the contents, she wouldn’t call the police until she got her aunt back.
“Don’t you have a security system?”
It served as another reminder of a long list of things she couldn’t afford. “I shut it down last week when I wasn’t able to pay the bill.” She closed her eyes, replaying the events of the morning.
Could she remember locking the door behind her? “I was in such a rush this morning it’s possible this is my fault. Not to mention I’ve been operating in a fog the past few weeks.” She narrowed her eyes, trying to focus. “If you don’t fully press in the lever on the handle when you close the door, it bounces back open.”
His eyes widened. “Are you serious? You didn’t lock it?”
“I locked it from the inside. When I’m running behind I don’t usually lock the dead bolt. The gate locks, and we have barbed wire around the property.” She pulled out her phone. “Which reminds me, I should lock the gate now.”
She clicked in the access code, turned and squinted in order to see the gate’s remote response in action. At the first sight of movement she headed up the front steps. “Let’s get to that tea.”
The faster she could down a cuppa, the faster she could hustle Luke out the door and focus on finding a solution to save her aunt. She pressed open the door and stepped inside.
The chairs in the entryway were slashed, bits of stuffing covering the marbled flooring. Why’d they need to go to such lengths? Surely they didn’t expect to find something in the cushions of the chair. Had someone destroyed everything for the fun of it?
Luke’s hand tugged on her shoulder. “I’m calling the police.”
“I don’t think so.” A man dressed all in black strode around the corner. He lifted his right arm and aimed a gun at her chest. “We need to have a little chat.”
Gabriella gasped as Luke stepped in front of her, shielding her. Another mafia member? Why was he here if they’d already searched the house?
Gabriella stared at the man’s balding head, green eyes and five o’clock shadow. The gunman shook his weapon at Luke. “Get out of the way.”
“I will not,” Luke said.
While touched by his chivalry, she knew Luke would only escalate the problem. Gabriella’s hand pressed into his back as her chin poked around his arm. “I thought I had twenty-four hours.”
Luke’s back stiffened under her fingertips. She’d let the cat out of the bag now. He knew she was keeping something from him.
Uncertainty crossed the gunman’s features, but he blinked it away. “The timeline’s been moved up,” he said.
Her gut churned. If he wasn’t on the same page as Benito, why was he here?
“Take what you want and leave,” Luke said.
He scoffed. “I don’t want your garbage.” His eyes drifted to Gabriella. “I think she knows what I want.”
So he was part of the mafia, then. Gabriella’s throat tightened. “Benito didn’t mention you.”
He sneered. “Of course not. He’s a punk with no manners. I’m Rodrigo Valenti. I worked for your uncle for years.”
“As I told Benito, I never even met this so-called uncle.”
He shrugged. “But your mama did. I heard all about it from your uncle before he passed.”
All the talk of supposed relatives made her mad enough to almost forget about the gun. Almost. “Despite whatever you may have heard, I have no idea where this supposed evidence is. There’s been a mistake. Mistaken identity. You have the wrong family.”
He acted as though he didn’t hear her. “I worked for your uncle Claudio for years, may he rest in peace, and he would’ve wanted you to give me the evidence instead of Benito.”
Luke glanced at her over his shoulder, wide-eyed. She didn’t know what to say. How had she ended up in the middle of what looked to be a mafia feud?
She pursed her lips, ready to launch into another rant about it all being a mistake and how she couldn’t care less about some mysterious, fake uncle. But after two tries, she knew it’d do no good, and if she wanted to keep Luke safe, she might as well placate them. “Why would he have wanted me to give it to you?”
He waved his gun. “So I don’t have to kill you.”
THREE
Luke looked between the gunman and Gabriella, trying to make sense out of the situation. He clenched his fists and took a small step backward, trying to push Gabriella back outside, farther away from the gunman.
She worked against him, shoving herself forward so she was next to him instead of behind him. “Listen, please,” she said. “Whoever gave you the idea my mother was involved in the mafia was way off. I...I can prove it. Let me find the deed. She inherited this land—no relation to any Mirabella family member.”
Luke did a double take at the word mafia, but Gabriella avoided his gaze. This Rodrigo guy thought her mom had been part of the Mirabella mafia? That was absurd. They lived in a state with more cattle than people. Gabriella had the spunk, the dramatic flair and the Italian beauty associated with the famous crime syndicate, but she’d attended a Christian college and exhibited too much grace and kindness to ever—
She threw her hands up in the air. “And my mom worked in the sand and gravel mining business her entire life...in Idaho. That’s the opposite of this mafia lady everyone keeps saying I look like. End of story.”
Gabriella clasped her hands together. Her eyes glistened. “I told you exactly what I told Benito. You have the wrong person. I’m a Radcliffe, my mother was a Radcliffe and this is called Radcliffe Ranch. You can take anything you want in this house. Just go. Please go.”
Rodrigo tilted his head as if considering her offer. “Twenty-four hours is too long. Forget Benito. New plan: you have twelve hours to get me the evidence.”
Rodrigo stepped closer. Luke tensed his entire body so he’d be ready to knock away the gun if he got close enough.
“I wouldn’t know where to start.” Gabriella’s voice cracked on the last syllable. “I have no idea what or where it would be.” Her voice strengthened and rose in pitch. Luke wanted to pull her into his arms. This was too much. As if she didn’t have enough grief and stress in her life, this man was trying to add more with his ridiculous mafia claim. No wonder Gabriella looked like death warmed over.
Rodrigo cackled. “Renata was a wily one, I’ll give her that. She was your uncle’s favorite until she disappeared.” Rodrigo’s cold stare moved Luke’s way. His grin twisted as he pointed the gun toward Luke’s forehead. “I don’t need you.”
The center of Luke’s stomach turned to solid ice.
Gabriella threw her arms across his torso. “He knows this property. I’ve walked the land, but he’s studied it. He’s an expert, and he’d know possible hiding places I might not think of...and vice versa.”
Rodrigo’s lips pressed together in a thin line, but his gaze never wavered. Luke wasn’t about to let him win the staring contest, even though the cavernous room with vaulted ceilings was sure to be echoing his loud heartbeat.
Rodrigo waved the gun toward the door. “I want a tour of the property. Now. But first, drop your keys and phones.”
Luke exhaled and tossed his phone on the closest bunch of ripped padding in hopes it wouldn’t break. If they could lose the creep somewhere on the property, they could get back to the house and call the police.
Gabriella was more graceful, bending down and setting the phone right in front of her feet. Surely she wasn’t going to try to get Rodrigo close enough to take him out? Luke tried to get her attention by bending his head down with wide eyes. She just glanced at him and shrugged.
Heat rushed to his legs. He wasn’t about to let Gabriella make the first move. He shifted his feet, ready to pounce if Rodrigo got too close.
“Slide it over, princess.”
Gabriella pressed her lips together as she kicked the phone in Rodrigo’s direction. So much for that plan.
Rodrigo put the keys in his pocket and picked up the phones as well. “Lead the way.”
The moment they stepped onto the driveway, their phones soared above their heads and landed with a plop in the lake.
There went three hundred bucks. He knew he should’ve waited before upgrading.
“Take me to your mom’s favorite spots,” Rodrigo growled.
Gabriella made a sharp turn to the right, her flats slapping on the concrete and her hands in fists. Luke matched his step with hers.
“I should’ve gone with my gut and called the police while I had a chance,” Luke whispered. “Any landline or other cell phone inside?”
“No. And calling the police isn’t an option.”
Luke put a hand on her arm. “Care to fill me in?”
She kept her face forward as she spoke. “Those men you saw me with earlier—in the driveway—are from the mafia, as well. They’ve got my aunt Freddie and will kill her if I don’t get them this mysterious evidence.”
“The same evidence Rodrigo wants?”
She nodded. “He acts like he’s in the same group as them, but he clearly doesn’t know or care about my aunt. We have to get away from him.”
Luke replayed the events of the past few minutes. Ah, it had to be the reason for her careful wording: I received some bad news about my great-aunt. Rodrigo was still far enough away he wouldn’t be able to hear his whispers. “The police are more capable of saving her than you are.”
Her dark eyes flashed. “The police can’t get involved. You can’t trust them.”
“Says who?” Luke frowned. His own mother had been a police detective before she retired, and he’d trust her with his life. Okay, so maybe he was a little biased.
“Too much corruption. I was taught never—” Her eyebrows shot up. “That’s not normal, is it? At school they want us to tell the kids to find an officer when they’re in danger. It would be just like a mafia family to teach you not to trust law enforcement.” She shook her head as if flinging the thoughts away. “Still, not worth the risk. Benito said he had connections. He said he’d know. Besides, it’s a moot point.”
“You better be talking about possible places for my evidence,” Rodrigo barked. “Otherwise, shut your yaps.”
Rodrigo was ten paces behind them, looking around but keeping the gun trained on Luke’s back.
Luke reached for Gabriella’s hand and squeezed it. “Thanks for selling my worth back there.”
Her eyes widened. “I meant every word. You said you did your homework on this property, and I need all the help I can get to stay alive...and somehow save my aunt.”
Luke tried to picture the topographical map he’d studied that morning. “That’s a tall order.”
“We have to get away from Rodrigo. Benito will kill my aunt in twenty-four hours if I don’t cooperate. I can’t waste a single minute.” She kicked at a pebble and watched it soar across the lush grass. “Who knew a math-tutoring program would bring mobsters to my door?” She laughed, but it came out garbled like a choked cry.
A heavy weight settled in the pit of Luke’s stomach. “Wh-what do you mean, your program brought them to your door?”
“The national attention from the media...my picture. That’s how these men said they found me.”
Luke’s insides turned to lava. This was his fault? He tried to do something nice for her, and instead he’d brought danger to her doorstep? “Uh, Gabriella—”
“I want some answers,” Rodrigo shouted.
“My mom liked to walk around the lake,” she said loudly. “Maybe we’ll see something on the beach portion.”
Rodrigo grunted and jutted his chin out as a sign to continue.
“You have almost two hundred acres,” Luke said.
“Yes, but water accounts for more than half of it. We’ve got the lake and three tributaries.”
“Basically an urban island, I’m aware. Do you know how long it would take to check out all the land on foot? He’s asking us to go on a wild-goose chase—” he stepped over a spattering of goose droppings “—of which the property clearly has no shortage. But you get my point.”
Her head dropped. “I...I can’t think of a single spot that would be obvious as a place she’d hide something, let alone a place for evidence. They think she would’ve kept it close to her.”
Rodrigo seemed to have no trouble letting them talk as long as they were discussing the property.
“He said he already searched the house.” Gabriella lowered her voice. “But she kept a gun and a journal in her nightstand. Those have to help us.”
Luke didn’t think finding a journal was a high priority, but he didn’t want to argue with Gabriella in this state. The gun was worth going after, and their only hope. “So we’re agreed the first thing we do is get away from this guy and get back to the house.”
She didn’t reply, but Luke took that as agreement. He’d noticed when he pulled up in the driveway that there was a second driveway leading to the back of the house where a shed was built. A shed usually meant tools.
Luke waved toward the lake that wrapped around the south and west sides of the house—providing an almost three-hundred-degree view. The steady breeze sloshed miniature waves up on the shore. “You said it was a man-made lake. Did your mother have it built?” Luke stopped for a moment, allowing Rodrigo to catch up enough to hear his words.
Gabriella squinted. “Yes. She mined the whole property for sand and gravel, then had it built back up to create the water features.”
Rodrigo’s forehead wrinkled, but he said nothing.
Luke addressed him. “What are you going to do if it turns out her mom buried something underneath this lake? Or one of the creeks?”
“Just keep walking,” Rodrigo spat back, but his eyes were on the lake.
Luke tried to keep his smug grin to himself. He’d accomplished his mission to get the guy thinking and worrying over something so he’d be less focused. Luke put a hand on his chest and made a small gesture with his thumb for only Gabriella to see. “Let’s make a sharp turn there,” he whispered, “and make a run for it.”
Her eyes widened. “But he has a gun.”
Luke glanced over his shoulder and gauged the man’s fitness level. His sizeable mass meant he probably didn’t have endurance but could very likely have speed. “Then we pick up the pace. We’ll have two...maybe three seconds at most. I’ll get behind the shed and try to knock the gun out of his hands when he passes. Go in front of me. There’s a back door, right?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t wait for me. Don’t turn back. Go past the shed and get inside the house.” Luke figured this was their best and only shot at getting the gun away from the man. If they walked any further they’d start dealing with uneven terrain and little to no shelter from Rodrigo.
If he succeeded, he’d get his keys back and haul him straight to the police.
Her face paled, but she did pick up the speed ever so slightly. Luke inhaled, and one of his mother’s favorite phrases came to mind. Remember: bravery is just doing what’s right even when it’s scary or hard. Luke hoped the line between bravery and foolishness wasn’t too thin.
Gabriella reached the corner and launched off her back foot into a sprint. She’d taken off too soon. Luke winced and glanced back. She was supposed to have waited until she rounded the corner.
Rodrigo raised his gun. “Hey!”
Luke dashed to the shed—Gabriella had already passed—and grabbed a shovel leaning up against the open door. Rodrigo rounded the corner. Luke flipped the shovel in a high arc, aiming for the gun. Except Rodrigo pointed the weapon, moving his arm. The metal blade hit Rodrigo’s elbow. He howled, and the gun flew backward.
Rodrigo spun and took off after the gun.
“Luke!”
He turned to the sound of Gabriella’s voice. She beckoned him. He ran toward her. There was no way he could beat or overcome Rodrigo’s bulk. “Go!” He didn’t want Gabriella waiting for him. Instead of running toward the back door of the house, she ran in the opposite direction onto a small wooden pier.
“Trust me,” she hollered. Her arms stretched above her head as she pushed off from the dock and disappeared into the water below.
Crack!
Luke covered his head with his hands, but his legs pressed harder and faster forward. He leapt off the pier where he thought he’d seen Gabriella dive. He hoped it was deep enough. As he sliced through the water, a searing hot pain ripped through his thigh.
FOUR
Gabriella’s lungs burned as she did her best to stay at the bottom of the lake. As an only child she’d developed some unusual skills with all the time alone. She had, for instance, challenged herself to hold her breath for as long as possible every summer.
Her personal best was three minutes, though she’d never imagined it to be useful.
A strong current shoved the hair in front of her face. It had to be Luke. She kicked, swimming forward, until her fingertips touched fabric. While it was hard to see him through the murky water, his limbs flailed. His right arm bumped into her shoulder with a force that almost made her gasp.
Was he drowning? If he panicked, he could take her down with him. She grabbed the back of his suit jacket. It allowed her to stay far enough away he couldn’t smack her as she tugged. She needed to breathe!