Chapter 6 - THE MAN IN THE SWISS CLINIC
Finding Luca required patience.
And lawyers.
And international cooperation.
Dante's first instinct was to send men.
Gemma stopped him.
“If you go in like your father would have, you'll frighten everyone and possibly endanger Luca.”
Dante stared.
Then nodded.
He contacted attorneys experienced in international guardianship and unlawful confinement cases.
Investigators reviewed medical records.
Authorities in Switzerland opened an inquiry.
Three weeks later, Dante received a call.
Luca had been located.
Alive.
Dante sat down.
For several seconds, he couldn't speak.
Then he whispered:
“Can I see him?”
The answer was yes.
But not immediately.
Luca had endured years of isolation and coercive control.
He needed independent medical and psychological evaluation.
He needed to decide whether he wanted contact.
Dante waited.
It was the hardest thing he'd ever done.
Then, one morning, a video call was arranged.
Dante sat alone in his office.
The screen flickered.
A man appeared.
Thin.
Scarred.
Older.
But unmistakably Luca.
Dante covered his mouth.
“Luca?”
The man stared.
Then whispered:
“Dante?”
Dante began crying.
For eleven years, he'd imagined his brother's final moments.
Now Luca was looking at him.
Alive.
“I'm sorry,” Dante whispered.
Luca shook his head.
“You didn't know.”
Dante closed his eyes.
Luca smiled faintly.
“You look old.”
Dante laughed through tears.
May you like
“So do you.”
For the first time in eleven years, the brothers laughed together.
