Chapter 1 - THE TOYS THAT HEAR EVERYTHINGThe echo of Emma’s laugh still hung in the grand hall, but the atmosphere had shifted from tense to lethal. Alessandro Moretti stood up smoothly, his gaze sliding from my daughter to Vivian.
Vivian tried to fix her dress, her knuckles white as she clutched her designer purse. "Alessandro, please. It was a mistake. The stress of the dinner—"
"A mistake is dropping a glass, Vivian," Alessandro said, his voice as smooth as velvet and cold as steel. "Striking a woman under my roof in front of the twelve families is a declaration of disrespect. Not just to her, but to me."
Don Ricci cleared his throat from the head of the table. "Alessandro. The girl made a scene, but we have business tonight. The shipments from the port of Genoa are delayed. We need to focus on the traitor in our ranks, not a maid's child."
Alessandro didn't look at Don Ricci. Instead, his eyes fixed on the blue wool rabbit Emma was holding.
"Emma," Alessandro said softly, kneeling back down. "Where did you get that rabbit?"
I stepped forward, my voice trembling. "Mr. Moretti, please... I made it for her. From an old sweater—"
"No," Alessandro interrupted gently, his eyes never leaving the toy. "You made the body, Mrs. Bennett. But who gave her the silver button for the rabbit’s left eye?"
I froze. I remembered finding the silver button on the floor of Alessandro’s private study three weeks ago while vacuuming. It looked like a vintage cufflink, heavy and detailed with an intricate snake crest. Thinking it was trash or a lost piece of costume jewelry, I had sewn it onto the rabbit’s face when Emma lost her original glass eye.
Vivian’s breath hitched. Her hand flew to her neck, where a matching silver snake pendant hung hidden beneath her silk collar.
"That... that's just a button," Vivian stammered, her voice rising an octave. "Alessandro, you're being ridiculous!"
"That is not a button," Alessandro said, standing up to his full six-foot-three height. "That is a high-frequency audio transmitter, manufactured exclusively by Russian intelligence."
A collective gasp went around the room. Twelve mob bosses reached inside their jackets. The jazz quartet vanished into the side doors. Guards stepped out from the shadows, blocking every exit.
Alessandro reached out his bare hand. "Emma, sweetie. May I look at your rabbit’s eye?"
Emma looked at Alessandro, then at Vivian, whose face had turned ash-white. "The pretty lady was looking for it yesterday," Emma said innocently in her high, clear voice. "She came into our bedroom while mommy was washing the sheets. She tried to pull it off, but I hid under the bed."
The entire room turned to look at Vivian.
"You went into the servant quarters?" Alessandro asked, his voice dropping into a register that made the hair on my arms stand up. "Looking for a wire you planted on my household staff to listen to my private meetings?"
"It's a lie!" Vivian screamed, taking a step back. "The child is lying! Her mother put her up to this! She’s trying to steal you from me!"
"Search her," Alessandro commanded quietly.
Two heavy-set men in black suits stepped forward. Before they could touch her, Vivian reached into her clutch and pulled out a small, sleek silver cylinder.
"Nobody move!" she shrieked, aiming the device at Alessandro. "If I press this, the signal detonates the charges at the Genoa docks! Half your empire goes up in smoke, Moretti!"
I grabbed Emma, pulling her tight against my chest, and backed toward the wall. My heart was pounding against my ribs like a trapped bird.
"Vivian," Alessandro said, taking a slow, deliberate step toward her, ignoring the detonator completely. "You made three mistakes tonight. First, you brought Russian dirt into my home. Second, you threatened my business."
May you like
He stopped right in front of her, the barrel of her hidden bodyguard’s gun suddenly aimed at the back of her head from behind.
"And third?" Alessandro whispered, leaning in so close his lips nearly touched her ear. "You put your hands on the daughter of the only woman I ever truly loved."
