Chapter 7 - The Trap Closes
I shoved the microscope back onto the shelf, thrusting the glass slide and the vial into my pocket, and unlocked the heavy door.
Marco—Enzo’s head of security, a broad-shouldered man with a scarred face and an automatic sidearm holstered beneath his leather jacket—stood in the doorway.
Beside him stood Nurse Claire, pointing a shaking, manicured finger directly at my face.
"That's her!" Claire shrieked, her voice echoing down the corridor. "She was in the lounge! She went into my medical bag!"
Marco stepped into the small utility room, his massive frame blocking the only exit. His hand rested heavy against his gun holster.
"Is this true, Clara?" Marco demanded, his dark eyes burning with immediate hostility.
I forced my posture to slump, adopting a look of complete, wide-eyed confusion.
"What? No! I was just getting more bleach for the third-floor bathrooms!" I pleaded, pointing to the plastic jugs under the sink. "I haven't been near the lounge since noon!"
"She's lying!" Claire yelled, stepping up beside Marco. "I left my bag on the table while I went to get tea. When I came back, the zipper was open, and my prescription vials were moved! She's trying to steal Sophia's medication to sell on the street!"
It was a brilliant, vicious counter-attack. Claire had noticed the slight shift in her bag's zipper and immediately used it to frame me before I could present my findings.
"Search her," Marco ordered two armed guards standing in the hallway.
"Wait!" I cried out, stepping back against the sink. "Please! Marco, listen to me! She's lying!"
The two guards grabbed my arms, pinning me against the wall. One of them reached into my trouser pockets, pulling out my dusting cloth, my hairpins, and—
The glass specimen vial.
Marco took the vial, holding it up to the overhead fluorescent light.
"What is this?" Marco asked coldly.
"It's... it's a sample of her medication," I confessed, my heart pounding against my ribs like a sledgehammer. I realized in an instant that playing the dumb maid was no longer going to save my life. I had to pivot—now. "Marco, you have to listen to me! That liquid isn't medicine! It's a neurotoxin! She's poisoning Sophia!"
Claire let out a loud, theatrical laugh.
"Listen to her!" Claire mocked, turning to Marco. "The maid is claiming I'm poisoning the boss's daughter! She's insane, Marco! She's a thief who got caught and now she's making up ridiculous stories!"
Marco’s face remained completely stoic. He placed the vial into his pocket, his expression dark as night.
"Mr. Moretti wants to see both of you in the main study," Marco said quietly. "Now."
The guards dragged me down the grand staircase, my shoes skittering across the marble.
As we reached the double mahogany doors of Enzo’s private study, I saw Enzo standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, surrounded by three of his top capos.
May you like
The trap had closed around me. But as the guards forced me to stand before the most dangerous man in New York, I knew one thing for certain:
I was done hiding behind Clara Hayes.
