Chapter 8 - The Choice at Dry Dock Six

The red lighthouse was uglier in person.

Chloe had been right.

It wasn't a lighthouse at all.

Just a rusted navigation tower beside an abandoned cannery, painted a faded red that looked almost brown beneath the winter sky.

Snow had started again.

Small hard flakes.

They clicked against the windshield of the federal van.

Agent Ellis adjusted the wire beneath my sweater.

"Can you hear me?"

A voice in my earpiece answered.

"Clear."

James stood outside the van.

He wasn't supposed to be there.

Ellis had argued for ten minutes.

He had ignored her for ten minutes.

Finally she said, "You stay behind the perimeter."

James answered, "Of course."

She looked at Tony.

"Does he know what that means?"

Tony said, "Absolutely."

I asked, "Will he obey it?"

Tony looked at James.

"No."

Ellis closed her eyes.

"Wonderful."

James opened my door.

I stepped out.

He held the metal bank box.

Empty.

The real evidence was already in federal custody.

Inside this box were photocopies and a tracking device.

He gave it to me.

"It's heavy."

"Frank expects heavy."

I looked at him.

"What if he checks?"

"He'll see paper."

"What if he reads it?"

"Then we have bigger problems."

I gripped the handle.

James said, "Grace."

"What?"

"If anything changes, walk away."

"My daughter is inside."

"If Ellis tells you to walk away, walk away."

"No."

His expression sharpened.

"Don't do this."

"I'm not leaving Chloe."

"You staying alive helps Chloe."

"James."

He looked at me.

I lowered my voice.

"I am not Lily."

His face went still.

"I know."

"You don't get to save your daughter by saving me."

Pain moved across his face.

I continued.

"You can care what happens to me."

His eyes held mine.

"But don't confuse us."

"I don't."

"Good."

He took a breath.

"Grace."

"Yes?"

"I care what happens to you."

The world seemed strangely quiet for one second.

I looked at him.

"I know."

He nodded.

That was enough.

I walked toward the cannery.

The side door opened before I reached it.

Frank stood inside.

No coat.

No smile.

"Alone?"

"Yes."

He looked past me.

Federal agents were hidden.

James was behind two concrete barriers somewhere to my left.

Tony had gone with Ellis to the rear.

Frank saw none of them.

Or pretended not to.

"Come in."

I entered.

The building smelled like old salt and machine oil.

Frank shut the door.

"Box."

"My daughter."

"Box."

I held it tighter.

"Chloe first."

He laughed.

"You're negotiating now?"

"I learned from unpleasant people."

His smile disappeared.

"Put it down."

I set the box on a metal table.

"Where is she?"

Frank opened it.

He rifled through the papers.

"These are copies."

My heart jumped.

"Of course they are. The originals are too valuable."

He looked at me.

"Where are they?"

"Safe."

"With James?"

"No."

"Who?"

I let silence stretch.

Frank's face changed.

"You went to law enforcement."

I forced myself to laugh.

"Daniel did that once. Look how well it worked."

That landed.

Frank relaxed slightly.

"You are smarter than your husband."

Rage burned through me.

I said, "Where is Chloe?"

He shut the box.

"Upstairs."

"Bring her down."

"After James signs."

"He isn't coming."

"Then neither is Chloe."

My earpiece crackled.

Ellis whispered, "Keep him talking."

I wanted to scream at her.

Instead I said, "You killed Daniel."

Frank stared at me.

Then he shrugged.

"Daniel made himself a problem."

The words almost knocked me over.

I forced myself to breathe.

"How?"

"He saw a container."

"With people inside."

"He saw business."

"They were people."

"Inconvenient distinction."

I heard Ellis whisper, "We have confession."

I wanted more.

"Did you shoot Anthony?"

Frank's face tightened.

"Anthony was sentimental."

"That's not an answer."

"He found ledgers that were not his concern."

"Did you shoot him?"

Frank took a step closer.

"You think details will help?"

"Yes."

"They won't."

"Try me."

He smiled coldly.

"Anthony tried to call James."

My hands shook.

"He never completed the call."

"Because you shot him."

"Because he chose his brother over the future."

I swallowed.

"And Daniel?"

"Ran."

"Then what?"

"Ray Cole stopped him."

"Police stopped him."

"Ray was practical."

I saw Daniel in my mind.

Rain.

An access road.

A police light behind him.

Thinking he had been saved.

Frank continued.

"Daniel wouldn't tell us where the recorder was."

"So you killed him."

"Ray staged the crash."

The room tilted.

My earpiece filled with quiet voices.

I said, "Black ice."

Frank laughed.

"That was Ray's idea. He was lazy with reports."

I hated him more for laughing than for anything else.

"You threatened Daniel's family."

"He should have listened."

"He did."

Frank frowned.

"He hid the evidence."

"Yes."

"You couldn't find it."

"No."

"You searched my apartment."

"Eventually."

"Why wait three years?"

Frank's jaw tightened.

"Because I thought the evidence died with him."

"What changed?"

"One of Anthony's old accounts moved."

"The bank box."

"Annual fee."

I understood.

A payment notification.

Some dormant account had generated a record.

Frank had realized something still existed.

He said, "Then James walked into your restaurant."

"You were watching me already."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I needed to know what Daniel's widow knew."

"Nothing."

"You knew more than you realized."

He looked toward the bank box.

"You had the key."

My chest tightened.

"Did you arrange the attack on James's wife and daughter?"

Frank's face changed.

For the first time, he looked cautious.

I heard Ellis whisper, "Careful."

I said, "The payment to Saldano is in the box."

Frank stared at me.

Then he smiled.

"So James saw that."

"Yes."

"Good."

"Good?"

"He should finally understand."

"Understand what?"

Frank leaned against the table.

"James was weak."

I almost laughed.

"That is not the word most people use."

"He had rules."

"Against trafficking."

"Against profit."

"Against selling people."

"Against doing what was necessary."

I stared at him.

Frank continued.

"His father built an empire and handed it to a boy who wanted to play honorable gangster."

"That's ridiculous."

"Is it?"

"Yes."

"You don't get honor because you refuse one kind of evil while profiting from another."

I thought of James.

Of the ledger that could imprison him.

"You're right about that."

Frank blinked.

I continued.

"But you don't get to use his hypocrisy to excuse yours."

His eyes hardened.

"I don't need your judgment."

"Then why are you explaining yourself?"

He stepped toward me.

A door banged upstairs.

I heard a child cry out.

"Mommy!"

"Chloe!"

I moved.

Frank grabbed my arm.

Every agent in my earpiece spoke at once.

I shouted, "Let go!"

Frank pulled me back.

"Tell James to come in."

"No."

He twisted my arm.

Pain shot to my shoulder.

I heard Ellis.

"Entry team move."

Frank heard something too.

A faint crash from the rear.

His face changed.

"You lied."

I drove my heel into his foot.

He released me.

I ran toward the stairs.

"Chloe!"

A man appeared above me.

He held Chloe by the shoulder.

Not a gun.

Thank God.

Just his hand.

But Chloe was crying.

I stopped.

The man shouted, "Back!"

Frank reached inside his jacket.

James's voice came from behind me.

"Don't."

Everything froze.

James stood ten feet away.

He had ignored the perimeter.

Of course he had.

His hands were empty.

Frank pulled a gun.

Agents shouted from both sides.

"Drop it!"

"Federal agents!"

"Drop the weapon!"

Frank grabbed me and put the gun near my ribs.

James's face became terrifyingly calm.

"Let her go."

Frank laughed.

"You always did arrive personally."

James looked past him to Chloe.

"Hey."

Chloe was crying.

She looked at him.

James said, "Remember the pancakes?"

She nodded.

"I burned them."

She sniffed.

"Yes."

"Rude."

The man holding her looked confused.

James continued.

"When I tell you, sit down."

Frank pressed the gun harder against me.

"Shut up."

James ignored him.

"Chloe."

Her eyes stayed on him.

"Do you understand?"

She nodded.

Frank shouted, "I said shut up!"

James looked at him.

"You killed Sofia."

Frank smiled.

"Indirectly."

"You gave Saldano my route."

"Yes."

"My daughter was in the car."

"I didn't know."

James's face changed.

Frank added, "Would it matter if I did?"

For one second, I thought James would become the man Frank expected.

I saw it.

The old Saint.

The man who had killed twelve people.

The man who knew how to turn grief into violence.

Frank saw it too.

He smiled.

"Come on, James."

James took one step forward.

Agents shouted at him to stop.

Frank said, "Show Grace who you are."

James looked at me.

I couldn't speak.

The gun was against my side.

He looked at Chloe.

Then back at Frank.

"No."

Frank frowned.

James said, "You don't get that man again."

Frank's smile disappeared.

James looked at Chloe.

"Now."

Chloe dropped.

She simply sat down.

The man holding her lost his grip.

Tony came through the side door and tackled him.

At the same instant, I drove my elbow backward.

Frank's gun fired.

The shot hit the ceiling.

Agents rushed us.

I fell.

James hit Frank.

Once.

Frank dropped the gun.

James picked it up.

He stood over him.

Every agent froze.

"James," Ellis said.

Frank was on his knees.

Blood ran from his lip.

He laughed.

"There he is."

James pointed the gun at him.

My heart stopped.

Frank whispered, "Do it."

James's hand shook.

"James," I said.

He looked at me.

I was on the floor.

Alive.

Chloe was in Tony's arms.

Alive.

I said, "Don't give him another ghost."

James closed his eyes.

Then he lowered the gun.

Agent Ellis moved immediately.

She took the weapon.

Two agents pulled Frank to his feet and handcuffed him.

Frank stared at James.

"You think this makes you good?"

James shook his head.

"No."

He looked at me.

"It makes me done."

I ran to Chloe.

She threw herself into my arms.

I held her so tightly she complained she couldn't breathe.

I loosened my grip by approximately one inch.

"Mommy."

"I'm here."

"You came."

"I came."

She looked over my shoulder.

James stood alone near the metal table.

His hands were empty.

Chloe slipped out of my arms.

She ran to him.

He froze.

She hugged him around the waist.

Every person in the warehouse went silent.

James looked down at her.

Very slowly, he put one hand on her back.

Chloe whispered, "You didn't shoot him."

"No."

"Good."

James swallowed.

"Yeah."

She looked up.

"Are you still scary?"

He glanced at the federal agents, the handcuffed men, and Frank DeLuca being led away.

"Probably."

Chloe nodded.

"Okay."

Then she took his hand.

"Can we go home?"

James looked at me.

I looked at him.

For the first time since Christmas Eve, home no longer meant a particular apartment.

It meant the place where the people I loved were alive.

I nodded.

"Yes."

We walked out together.

The red lighthouse stood behind us.

Ugly.

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Rusting.

And finally useful for something good.