Chapter 6 - The Detective Who Was Supposed to Be Dead

Isabella slapped Michael.

Hard.

Then grabbed his jacket.

“Where is my father?”

Michael coughed.

“Airfield.”

“You said he died.”

“I said Vittorio has him.”

Luca pulled her away.

Michael leaned against the wall.

Blood spread across his side.

Gregory examined the wound.

“Through and through.”

Michael laughed weakly.

“Lucky me.”

Luca stared at him.

“You betrayed me.”

“Yes.”

“Why should I believe anything now?”

Michael looked at Enzo.

“Because I betrayed Vittorio first.”

Silence.

He pointed toward the shelves.

“Those records exist because I kept copies.”

Gregory frowned.

“You built this archive.”

“Yes.”

“For Vittorio.”

“At first.”

Luca’s voice hardened.

“And later?”

Michael looked at the photographs of Luca.

“Later I realized he was waiting for your thirty-fifth birthday.”

Luca said nothing.

Michael continued.

“The trust transfers voting control to you automatically.”

“I know.”

“Not if you are convicted of a felony.”

Luca stared.

Vittorio’s plan was simple.

Frame Luca before his birthday.

Take control through an emergency board vote.

And disappear.

Isabella whispered:

“My father?”

Michael nodded.

“Romano survived the staged car accident five years ago.”

“Why fake his death?”

“He found proof connecting Vittorio to federal officials.”

“Where has he been?”

“Moving.”

“And now?”

Michael looked at Luca.

“Captured three days ago.”

Three days.

Before the engagement ball.

That meant Vittorio knew Gregory was coming.

He knew about the tape.

He knew about Vermont.

Maybe he had known everything.

Luca asked:

“What does he want?”

Michael answered:

“The two keys.

The ledger.

And Enzo.”

Enzo frowned.

“Why me?”

“Because you can challenge Vittorio’s claim to the company.”

Sofia looked at Luca.

“It is not about money.”

Luca shook his head.

“It was always about money.”

Michael looked at him.

“No.”

We all turned.

He swallowed.

“Vittorio needs the company because the company owns Bellini Port Services.”

Gregory’s face changed.

“The docks.”

Michael nodded.

“Containers move through them without inspection.”

Luca stared.

“What is he moving?”

Michael did not answer.

Luca stepped closer.

“What?”

“People.”

Silence.

Sofia sat down.

Enzo closed his eyes.

Luca looked sick.

“My company?”

“You didn’t know.”

“That does not change the fact that it happened under my name.”

Michael nodded.

“No.”

Luca looked at Gregory.

“Call federal authorities.”

Gregory shook his head.

“Romano said officials were compromised.”

“Then call someone outside the region.”

Isabella spoke.

“I know someone.”

Everyone looked at her.

“My father trained an investigator in Boston.

Elena Cross.

He told me once: if anything ever happened again, find her.”

Luca held out the phone.

“Call.”

She did.

No answer.

Second call.

Nothing.

Third.

A woman answered.

Isabella said:

“My name is Isabella Romano.”

Silence.

Then the woman on the line asked:

“What color was your father’s first car?”

Isabella stared.

“Green.”

“What year?”

“1968.”

Pause.

Then:

“Where are you?”

Before Isabella could answer, the archive lights went out.

Michael whispered:

“He found us.”

A red emergency light came on.

Smoke rolled under the door.

Luca turned.

Not fire.

Tear gas.

Gregory shouted:

“Back exit!”

“There is no back exit,” I said.

Michael looked at me.

“There is.”

He pulled one shelf forward.

A narrow tunnel.

Vittorio had built escape routes inside Luca’s own house.

We crawled.

Behind us, men entered the archive.

Ahead, the tunnel split.

Michael pointed left.

“Garage.”

Then Isabella’s phone rang.

Unknown number.

She answered.

Her father’s voice came through.

Weak.

“Bella.”

She stopped breathing.

“Dad?”

A second voice replaced his.

Vittorio.

“Bring me the keys by midnight.”

Luca took the phone.

“Let him go.”

Vittorio laughed.

“Come to the airfield.”

Then:

“Bring your father too.”

Enzo looked at Luca.

Vittorio continued.

“And Luca?”

“Yes?”

“Ask your mother who fired the gun twenty years ago.”

The call ended.

May you like

[COMPLETED] “GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DRESS! YOU’RE NOTHING BUT AN OLD SEAM...

[COMPLETED] At the Mafia Boss's Engagement Party, I Served His Hungry So...

[COMPLETED] The Mafia Boss’s Fiancée Tried to Dismiss His Father’s Loyal...

Luca slowly turned toward Sofia.

Her face had gone white.