Chapter 5 - A Ghost from Bridgeport
Just when Lucas felt the walls closing in, an unexpected visitor arrived at the main gate. The security detail radioed up to the house, their voices tense.
"Mr. Moretti, we have a woman at the gate. She claims she knows Mrs. Moretti from Bridgeport. Says her name is Elena."
Sarah, who was drinking tea in the kitchen, gasped, nearly dropping her cup. "Elena? My old neighbor?"
Elena had been Sarah’s only friend during those dark, freezing winters in the Bridgeport apartment. She was a tough, older nurse who had smuggled asthma medication for Lily when Sarah couldn't afford it.
"Let her in," Sarah commanded, ignoring Lucas's warning glance. "She's family, Lucas. Real family."
Minutes later, Elena was sitting in the parlor, looking thoroughly out of place among the gilded mirrors and velvet drapes. She looked pale and shaken, her hands gripping a warm mug of tea as if it were a lifeline.
"I didn't know where else to go, Sarah," Elena whispered, her voice trembling. "Two men... they came to my apartment in Bridgeport. They ransacked the place. They kept asking about you, about where you went, about the 'man with the scar' who took you away."
Lucas stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "Did they hurt you, Elena?"
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"No," Elena shook her head, tears filling her eyes. "But they left a message. They said to tell Lucas that 'the family reunion is set for Friday at the old cathedral.' And if he doesn't show up alone, they'll bring the fire to his front door."
Sarah gripped Lucas's hand, her fingers icy cold. Friday was only two days away. The trap was set, and Marcus had used the only innocent thread left of their old life to pull them back into the web.
