Chapter 7 - The Dead Man's War

Victoria began talking before Leo sat down.

“Rafael is dead.”

Leo stopped.

“How do you know?”

She looked at his coat.

“There’s blood on your cuff that isn’t yours.”

“You knew him.”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“My father hired him years ago.”

“Then he switched sides.”

Victoria laughed bitterly.

“Rafael never had sides. He had prices.”

“Who paid him?”

“I don’t know.”

“Wrong answer.”

“It’s the truth.”

Leo sat.

Beatrice and Mateo watched from behind the glass again.

This time Mateo looked older.

Victoria continued.

“My father used Rafael to frighten Elena. Graham planted the first charge. Rafael replaced it.”

“On whose order?”

“I don’t know.”

“You keep protecting someone.”

“I’m protecting Lily.”

Leo leaned forward.

“Rafael just tried to abduct her.”

Victoria’s face broke.

“What?”

“You didn’t know?”

“No.”

“He was ordered to kill her.”

Victoria went white.

“By whom?”

“That is what I’m asking you.”

She looked genuinely frightened.

“Then my father isn’t controlling this.”

“Why are you certain?”

“Because Richard wants the ledger. Lily is leverage. Dead children are useless leverage.”

Beatrice flinched.

Mateo’s jaw tightened.

Leo said, “Do not speak about my daughter like an asset.”

“I am telling you how my father thinks.”

“Then tell me who thinks differently.”

Victoria closed her eyes.

“Sebastian.”

Mateo whispered, “No.”

Leo stared.

“Vale is dead.”

Victoria laughed softly.

“No. Sebastian Vale is whatever he needs to be.”

Behind the glass, Mateo took a step back.

Leo’s voice was flat.

“I saw him in a coffin.”

“Did you see an autopsy?”

“No.”

“Did you touch the body?”

“No.”

“Hale signed the certificate. Closed casket. Private burial.”

Leo looked toward the glass.

He knew Mateo could hear.

Victoria leaned in.

“Sebastian built your security systems. He controlled the funeral home contract. He controlled which cameras recorded. He controlled which physician signed.”

“Why fake his death?”

“Because Elena had finally traced the stolen routes to him.”

Leo’s face emptied.

“Not Richard?”

“Richard financed some shipments. Sebastian designed the network.”

“Why?”

“Power.”

“That is not an answer.”

“It is the only answer men like him need.”

Mateo pressed the intercom.

“Ask her about Rafael.”

Leo did.

Victoria looked toward the glass.

“Mateo’s brother was Sebastian’s first recruit.”

Mateo closed his eyes.

“He used Rafael to create routes outside Rossi oversight. When Richard Kensington wanted weapons moved, Sebastian took the money.”

Leo said, “Elena found it.”

“Yes.”

“And Sebastian killed her.”

Victoria’s eyes filled.

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I was there.”

Beatrice stopped breathing.

Leo did not move.

“Where?”

“North Harbor.”

“The night before the bombing.”

“Yes.”

“What happened?”

“Elena met Richard. She played him a copy of the audio recording you found.”

“How do you know I found it?”

“Because otherwise we would not be having this conversation.”

Leo’s eyes narrowed.

“Continue.”

“My father tried to threaten her. Elena did not care. She told him she had proof Sebastian was stealing from both of you.”

“Both?”

“Richard thought Sebastian worked for him.”

Mateo whispered, “Of course.”

Victoria continued.

“Elena said she would go to federal investigators the next morning.”

“And you told Richard her schedule.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“My father told me he wanted the ledger before she talked.”

“You knew about the warning bomb.”

“Yes.”

“Then Sebastian changed it.”

Victoria nodded.

“Rafael did the work, but Sebastian gave the order.”

Leo’s jaw tightened.

“Why kill Elena if he needed the ledger?”

“He believed the ledger was in the car.”

“It wasn’t.”

“No.”

“So for two years he searched.”

“Yes.”

“Through you.”

Victoria looked ashamed.

“At first.”

“What changed?”

“I realized Sebastian was killing everyone who knew too much.”

“Daniel.”

“Yes.”

“Vale’s fake death.”

“Yes.”

“Graham.”

“That was Rafael.”

“On Sebastian’s order.”

“Yes.”

Leo sat back.

“And you stayed in my house.”

Victoria’s eyes filled.

“I thought if I got the ledger first, I could trade it for my life.”

“You used Lily.”

“I never meant for her asthma attack to become that bad.”

Beatrice’s hands curled.

Leo’s face became cold.

“You locked a frightened child in a freezing cellar.”

“I wanted her to tell me where Bunny hid the key.”

“You took her inhaler.”

“I moved it so she would stop threatening to call you.”

“You moved it upstairs and locked her below.”

Victoria’s voice cracked.

“I panicked.”

Leo stared at her.

“People like you call cruelty panic after it fails.”

Victoria flinched.

“I know.”

“No. You know consequences.”

She looked down.

Leo continued.

“Who inside my organization still answers to Sebastian?”

“I only know one.”

Mateo leaned toward the glass.

Victoria looked at the mirror.

“Mateo will hate this.”

Leo’s gaze sharpened.

“Name.”

“Anton Velez.”

“Security chief.”

“Yes.”

“He fled.”

“He was supposed to.”

“Where is Sebastian?”

“I don’t know.”

“Where would Anton go?”

“Montreal was a decoy.”

“Then where?”

“Chicago.”

Mateo grabbed his phone.

Leo said, “Why return here?”

Victoria looked at him.

“Because Sebastian does not want to escape.”

“What does he want?”

“To replace you.”

Leo almost laughed.

“With what army?”

“Yours.”

The answer landed.

Victoria continued.

“He has spent years building debt. Drivers. warehouse managers. port supervisors. accountants. Men who think you’ve grown weak because you became a father.”

Behind the glass, Beatrice saw Mateo’s face harden.

Leo asked, “How many?”

“Enough.”

“Names.”

“I know three.”

“Give them.”

She did.

Mateo typed each name.

All mid-level men.

All with access to operations.

Leo’s phone buzzed.

Mateo sent a message.

Two of three are active tonight. One missing.

Leo’s gaze remained on Victoria.

“What happens tonight?”

She swallowed.

“The Saint Agnes Foundation gala.”

Leo frowned.

“That’s tomorrow.”

“No. It was moved.”

“By whom?”

“Your office.”

“I didn’t approve that.”

“Sebastian did.”

Leo went still.

The Saint Agnes gala was one of the city’s largest charity events.

Hundreds of donors.

Judges.

Police officials.

Business leaders.

Press.

And Rossi security.

Mateo spoke through the intercom.

“He’s planning something public.”

Victoria nodded toward the mirror.

“He wants you discredited before he kills you.”

Leo stood.

“What?”

“He has a copy of the illegal manifests.”

“The ones he created.”

“Yes.”

“He’ll leak them.”

“And make you look responsible for everything.”

“Then kill me.”

“Probably at the gala.”

Beatrice left the observation room.

Mateo followed.

They entered.

Victoria’s eyes locked on Beatrice.

“You.”

Beatrice approached the table.

“Yes. Me.”

Victoria looked at her bruised cheek.

“I’m sorry.”

“No.”

Victoria blinked.

“No?”

“You do not get to use sorry as a door out of the room.”

“I’m trying—”

“Then tell the truth.”

“I have.”

“All of it?”

Victoria hesitated.

Beatrice saw.

“There.”

“What?”

“That pause.”

Leo stepped closer.

“What else?”

Victoria looked at Beatrice.

“Elena gave Daniel something.”

Beatrice’s stomach dropped.

“What?”

“I don’t know.”

“You do.”

“A pendant.”

Beatrice froze.

“My brother’s?”

“No. Elena’s.”

Leo’s face changed.

“Elena wore a silver saint medal.”

Victoria nodded.

“She gave it to Daniel after the bombing.”

“How?” Beatrice asked. “She was barely alive.”

“She was conscious for several minutes.”

Leo gripped the chair.

“I was told she never regained consciousness.”

“Hale lied.”

Beatrice stared at Victoria.

“What happened to the pendant?”

“I don’t know.”

Her mind raced.

Daniel’s belongings.

Wallet.

Watch.

Coat.

Notebook.

A cheap wooden box she had never opened because it held things from the hospital.

She turned to Leo.

“It’s at my apartment.”

“What?”

“Daniel’s effects.”

Mateo said, “We can send someone.”

“No.”

Leo looked at her.

“Why not?”

“Because if Sebastian knows my brother gave me something, he may already be watching it.”

“That is exactly why you do not go.”

Beatrice folded her arms.

“Then how do we retrieve it?”

“Professionals.”

“You mean men who work in the organization Sebastian infiltrated?”

Leo stopped.

Mateo winced.

“She has a point.”

“I dislike both of you.”

“That is not new,” Mateo said.

Beatrice looked at Victoria.

“What is in the pendant?”

“I never saw it.”

“But you know it matters.”

“Elena told Daniel, ‘If I die, give this to the person who still believes Leo can choose differently.’”

Leo’s face went still.

Beatrice felt a strange pressure in her chest.

“Who was that?”

Victoria looked at her.

“Daniel thought it was you.”

“That makes no sense.”

“He knew you were stubborn.”

“That part makes sense.”

Victoria almost smiled.

Beatrice did not.

Leo said, “Why would Elena trust someone she had never met?”

Victoria looked at him.

“She didn’t trust Beatrice.”

“Then what?”

“She trusted Daniel’s judgment.”

Silence.

Mateo checked the time.

“If the gala is tonight, Sebastian expects us to react.”

Leo nodded.

“He expects me to cancel.”

“And?”

“I won’t.”

Beatrice stared.

“Absolutely not.”

Leo turned.

“You are not attending.”

“That is not what I said.”

“You’re staying with Lily.”

“I am not arguing about me.”

“Good.”

“I am arguing about you walking into a room where a dead man plans to murder you.”

Mateo said, “Technically, allegedly dead.”

They both glared at him.

“Sorry.”

Beatrice stepped closer to Leo.

“You do not win by acting predictable.”

“What do you suggest?”

“We give him what he wants.”

“The gala?”

“The ledger.”

Leo’s eyes narrowed.

“A fake?”

“No.”

Mateo looked at her.

“That is either brave or insane.”

“Those are neighbors.”

Beatrice pointed to the drive.

“He wants the physical ledger because he believes it contains something the files do not.”

Leo nodded slowly.

“So we make him show himself for it.”

“At the gala?”

“Yes.”

“And if he takes the bait?”

“We record him.”

Mateo shook his head.

“He will never confess in public.”

“Then do not make it public.”

Beatrice looked at Victoria.

“What room would Sebastian choose if he wanted to isolate Leo at Saint Agnes?”

Victoria answered immediately.

“The old chapel.”

Mateo frowned.

“Why?”

“No cameras.”

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Beatrice smiled without humor.

“Then let’s give a dead man somewhere private to talk.”