Chapter 524
Chapter 524:
“Mrs. Moretti?” Skye whispered.
The wheelchair spun around with shocking speed.
Skye jumped back, shining the light on the woman’s face.
It was a ruin of a face. Deep lines etched into pale, translucent skin. But the eyes… the eyes were bright, blue, and terrifyingly lucid.
“You’re not the nurse,” the woman croaked. Her voice sounded like grinding gravel. “You’re too pretty. And you don’t smell like gin p>
“I’m Skye,” Skye said, lowering the light so she wouldn’t blind the woman. “I’m… a prisoner here. Like you p>
“A prisoner?” The woman laughed. It was a high, cackling sound. “Giovanni doesn’t keep prisoners. He keeps trophies. And corpses p>
“Giovanni is dead,” Skye said. “Lucian Graves runs this house now p>
The woman—Elena Moretti—leaned forward. She grabbed Skye’s wrist. Her grip was surprisingly strong, her fingernails digging into Skye’s skin.
“Graves?” The usurper?” She spat on the floor. “He stole it. He stole my life. He stole my baby p>
“Sofia p>
“No!” Elena spat. “Sofia is a mongrel. A distraction. My son… he killed my son p>
Tears welled up in the old woman’s eyes. “And then Giovanni locked me here. So I couldn’t tell. So I couldn’t show them the Heart p>
“The Heart,” Skye repeated. “Maria told me about it. What is it, Elena? Is it a diamond p>
Elena let go of Skye’s hand. She spun her wheelchair around, pointing a shaking finger at the far wall.
There was a painting leaning against the eaves. It was covered in dust. It depicted a grotesque, anatomical heart, but made of rubies and gears.
“The Heart of the Syndicate,” Elena whispered. “The foundation stone. He put everything in it. The blood money. The bribes. The names p>
“Is it a ledger?” Skye asked.
“It’s a key,” Elena said, her eyes wide. “A digital key. Inside the ruby. He hid it. He said it was his insurance policy p>
𝖩𝗼𝗶𝗇 𝘁𝘩e 𝖼𝗈𝗺𝘮𝘶𝗻𝘪tу а𝘵 𝗯𝖾l𝗻𝗈v𝖾𝘭ѕ.𝘤𝘰𝘮
“Where is it now p>
Elena began to rock back and forth. “He took it. When the bad men came. When Graves came. He took it to his sanctuary p>
“His office p>
“No.” Elena giggled. “His other office. The one in the casino. The one behind the eyes p>
“Behind the eyes p>
“The eyes of the King,” Elena sang, her voice drifting into madness. “The King sees all. But the King is blind p>
Suddenly, Elena stopped rocking. She cocked her head.
“They’re coming,” she whispered.
Skye heard it too. Heavy footsteps on the stairs. Not the servants’ stairs. The main access door.
“The nurse,” Elena whimpered. “She has the needle p>
“I have to go,” Skye said, standing up. “Thank you, Elena p>
“Burn it,” Elena said, grabbing Skye’s sleeve one last time. “Burn it all down p>
Skye pulled away. She killed her flashlight.
The heavy door at the far end of the attic rattled. Keys jingled. Skye sprinted toward the servants’ entrance. She slipped through the iron door just as the main door swung open, flooding the attic with harsh electric light.