That silenced him.
Emilio smiled.
For the first time since I had met him, he looked almost like himself again.
“Etta,” he said.
“What?”
“Put the key in the wall.”
I looked around.
“Where?”
“Behind the old painting.”
I found it.
There was a small painting of the Corsaro family hanging near the hidden corridor.
I lifted it.
A keyhole was carved into the wall.
Rafe rushed forward.
Two men blocked his path.
I inserted the key.
The wall opened.
Inside was a safe.
Emilio stepped toward it.
His hands shook.
“I haven’t seen this in nineteen years.”
“What is inside?”
“My daughter’s future.”
He entered a combination.
The safe opened.
Inside were passports.
Bank documents.
Photographs.
A handwritten letter.
And a small video recorder.
Emilio picked up the letter.
It was from my mother.
He read it silently.
Then handed it to me.
The first line made my heart break.
Emilio, if you’re reading this, then Etta is finally old enough to know the truth.
I read the rest.
My mother had discovered that Rafe planned to take control of the Corsaro family.
She had helped Eleanor escape.
She had hidden the financial records proving Rafe had stolen millions from the family businesses.
