Contents
Chapter 38
Overview
Ace brings Keres and Romeo to a Jackson homestead where Sabine leads them to Keres’s mother’s grave, secretly placed there by the Morettis. At the graveside, Keres reveals she is Salvatore Moretti’s daughter and details her trafficking past, including Lorenzo’s earlier rescue. The moment deepens bonds yet re-hardens Keres’s walls as they refocus on confronting Theo Wynn next.
Summary
On the ride from Chicago, Ace insists Keres ride pillion due to her injured wrist and brings her and Romeo to a quiet ranch house in Jackson. He explains Lorenzo directed them there. Sabine, a friend of the Morettis, greets them and says Keres’s mother is buried on the property.
Sabine describes how Dante, Lorenzo, and Max found Keres’s mother’s body while dismantling a trafficking ring and chose to bury her under a red maple tree on Sabine and Nicole’s land. Keres hurries to the grave and collapses before a headstone reading, “Here lies a true warrior.” Ace and Romeo join her in silence as she processes that her mother has rested in peace, not abandoned.
At the graveside, Keres shares memories of her mother’s stories about the Keres and admits her mother died protecting her. She then reveals she is Salvatore Moretti’s daughter, clarifying that Lorenzo is her brother who ultimately freed her. Ace and Romeo are stunned.
Keres recounts her past: her mother was sold to Hank Sizemore while pregnant after being raped by Salvatore; Keres was later earmarked for sale. When traffickers came for eleven-year-old Keres, they killed Hank, tortured and murdered her mother, and delivered Keres to a buyer who already had Phoenix. The buyer raped both girls and locked them in a van, until Lorenzo led the rescue and took them to Father Mike.
Shaken but resolute, Keres ends the confession, deflects further intimacy, and urges they eat, find a motel, and resume the hunt for Theo Wynn at first light. Ace resolves internally to break through her defenses and stand by her, while Romeo offers steady comfort as they turn back toward their mission.
Who Appears
- KeresFinds her mother’s grave, reveals she’s Salvatore Moretti’s daughter, recounts trafficking trauma, and recommits to confronting Theo Wynn.
- AcePOV; brings Keres to the grave site, supports her, wrestles jealousy, and vows to stand by her despite her walls.
- RomeoAccompanies Keres, comforts her at the grave, reacts to her lineage and past, and stays focused on the mission.
- SabineHomeowner and Moretti family friend who guides them to the burial and explains why Keres’s mother was laid to rest there.
- Keres’s motherDeceased; honored as a “true warrior.” Her death and stories shape Keres’s identity and drive for justice.