Chapter 6 - THE MAN WHO STOLE SIX YEARS
Sam called at noon.
Adrian let the phone ring four times.
Then answered.
“Samuel.”
A soft laugh.
“You only call me Samuel when you’re angry.”
“I’m not angry.”
“That worries me.”
“You should be worried.”
Claire stood across the room.
Maya was upstairs with one of Marcus’s security men and a cartoon playing loud enough to hide the conversation.
Adrian kept his voice calm.
“Why is an SUV registered to one of your shell companies following me?”
Silence.
Sam sighed.
“You shouldn’t have gone looking backward.”
“I wasn’t.”
“No. Your car conveniently died in front of history.”
“So you sabotaged it?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t need to.”
Sam became quieter.
“Come home.”
“Why?”
“Because this can still be handled.”
“Handled.”
“Yes.”
“That’s the word you used when my father died.”
Long silence.
Adrian continued.
“You said you’d handle the docks while I handled the funeral.”
“Careful.”
“Did you leak his route?”
“Do you really want this conversation over a phone?”
“Yes.”
“No, you don’t.”
Adrian looked at Claire.
She held up her own phone.
Recording.
Good.
Sam continued.
“Your father was destroying everything.”
“By doing what?”
“Trying to go legitimate.”
The answer was so simple Adrian almost laughed.
His father had spent decades building an empire through fear and corruption.
Toward the end, he had wanted out.
Adrian had always believed the decision was guilt.
Apparently somebody else had considered it betrayal.
Sam said, “He wanted to sell warehouses, cut political relationships, shut down operations that had supported families for generations.”
“Criminal operations.”
“Operations that made us powerful.”
“And you killed him for it?”
“I didn’t pull a trigger.”
Adrian’s hand tightened.
“You gave them Route Seventeen.”
Another silence.
That was enough.
Claire’s eyes closed.
Sam exhaled.
“You have no idea what your father was going to do.”
“I know what you did.”
“I saved the organization.”
“You murdered a man who trusted your family.”
“I saved you too.”
Adrian went still.
Sam laughed softly.
“You think you became Adrian Moretti because you were born with the name? You became Adrian Moretti the night your father died. Before that, you were playing mechanic’s boyfriend in the country.”
Claire flinched.
Adrian’s voice became ice.
“You knew about Claire.”
“Of course I knew.”
The room seemed to tilt.
Adrian had suspected it.
Hearing confirmation was different.
“How?”
“Your father knew.”
Adrian’s heartbeat stopped for half a second.
“What?”
“He had people watching you. He thought Claire was good for you.”
Claire stared.
Sam continued.
“He planned to tell you to leave New York after he cleaned everything up. Run the legitimate companies. Marry the girl. Have a normal life.”
Adrian closed his eyes.
His father had never said any of that.
“He told you?”
“He told my father.”
“And you decided otherwise.”
“We needed you angry. Isolated. Dependent.”
Claire whispered, “Oh my God.”
Sam heard.
“So she’s there.”
Adrian’s head snapped up.
Sam laughed.
“And the child?”
“You say one word about my daughter—”
“There he is.”
Sam sounded almost pleased.
“The man we built.”
“You didn’t build me.”
“Didn’t we?”
Adrian felt something old inside him collapse.
Years of loyalty.
Grief.
Brotherhood.
Every time Sam had encouraged brutality.
Every time he had whispered that kindness would be mistaken for weakness.
Every relationship Adrian had abandoned because power required sacrifice.
It had all served someone.
“Why hide Maya?” Adrian asked.
“Because you would have left.”
“Yes.”
“You admit it.”
“I would have chosen my child.”
“Exactly.”
Adrian heard movement outside.
Marcus entered silently and handed him a note.
SUV MOVING EAST. TWO VEHICLES.
Adrian nodded.
“Sam.”
“Yes?”
“You have one opportunity.”
“To?”
“Walk into the district attorney’s office.”
Sam laughed openly now.
“You’re threatening me with law enforcement?”
“I’m offering you the only outcome where you remain alive and I remain the man I’m trying to become.”
Claire watched him carefully.
Sam stopped laughing.
“You really have changed.”
“No.”
Adrian looked toward the ceiling, where Maya was.
“I finally have a reason to.”
He ended the call.
Marcus spoke immediately.
“We need to move.”
“Why?”
“Two SUVs left the Russo warehouse forty minutes ago.”
Claire’s face went pale.
Adrian turned to her.
“Get Maya.”
They moved fast.
Marcus had prepared three vehicles.
Again, three routes.
This time there were no messages.
No phones.
No digital navigation.
Paper maps only.
They left separately.
Claire and Maya rode with Adrian in an old Jeep.
Marcus went west.
His men went south.
Adrian went north.
For twenty minutes, nothing happened.
Then Maya spoke from the back seat.
“Are those the bad people?”
Adrian looked in the mirror.
A black SUV was three cars behind them.
Claire turned.
“How did they find us?”
Adrian’s eyes dropped to the dashboard.
No company electronics.
No tracker.
No messages.
Then Claire whispered, “My bag.”
“What?”
She grabbed her purse.
A small electronic chirp came from inside.
Adrian pulled onto a farm road.
Claire emptied everything onto the floor.
Wallet.
Keys.
Screwdriver.
Lip balm.
Receipts.
A stuffed dinosaur Maya had apparently hidden there.
Then Adrian saw it.
A coin-sized tracker stitched behind the interior lining.
Claire stared.
“When?”
“The garage,” Adrian said. “While we were distracted.”
The SUV accelerated behind them.
Adrian grabbed the tracker.
Claire pointed ahead.
“Bridge.”
“What?”
“Old quarry bridge. Half mile.”
“You know it?”
“I grew up here.”
“Good.”
She understood immediately.
Adrian handed her the tracker.
“What do you need?”
Claire smiled for the first time since the chase began.
“My wrench.”
Maya leaned forward.
“The red one?”
“Yes, bug.”
“It’s under the seat.”
Of course it was.
Claire took the wrench.
Adrian turned onto a narrow gravel road beside the quarry.
The SUV followed.
Ahead, a delivery truck was parked beside a feed store.
Adrian slowed just enough.
Claire opened the window.
“You sure?”
“No.”
“Great.”
She threw the tracker.
It landed perfectly in the open rear bed of the delivery truck as it pulled away toward the bridge.
Adrian turned sharply down a hidden lane.
The SUV continued after the truck.
Maya gasped.
“They went the wrong way!”
Claire laughed breathlessly.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
Adrian looked at her.
“That was impressive.”
“I told you.”
“No. Maya told me.”
For one brief moment, the terror broke.
Then Claire’s phone rang.
Unknown caller.
Adrian answered.
Sam’s voice.
“You always did like difficult women.”
Adrian looked at Claire.
“How are you tracking this phone?”
Sam laughed.
“I’m not.”
A coldness spread through Adrian.
“Then how did you know?”
“Because you’re predictable.”
The call ended.
Two seconds later, Maya screamed.
A vehicle burst from a side road.
Not the SUV.
A gray van.
It struck the Jeep behind the rear tire.
Adrian fought the wheel.
Metal shrieked.
The Jeep spun once.
Claire grabbed Maya.
The vehicle crashed into a ditch.
Airbags exploded.
For several seconds, everything was white powder and ringing ears.
Adrian forced his door open.
“Claire?”
“I’m okay.”
“Maya?”
No answer.
His heart stopped.
“Maya!”
He turned.
The rear door stood open.
Claire stared.
Empty seat.
“No.”
Adrian climbed out.
The gray van was already moving.
A man pulled the rear door shut.
For one second, Adrian saw Maya inside.
Her palms hit the window.
“DAD!”
It was the first time she had called him that.
Adrian ran.
The van accelerated.
He chased it until his lungs burned.
Until gravel tore through the knees of his pants when he fell.
The van disappeared.
Claire reached him.
He had never seen a human face hold that much terror.
“They took her.”
Adrian stood.
Blood ran from his palm.
His voice was almost calm.
“They made a mistake.”
Claire grabbed his jacket.
“They took my baby!”
“I know.”
“Do something!”
Adrian looked down the road where the van had vanished.
For most of his life, men had feared what Adrian Moretti would do when someone crossed him.
They had never seen him with a daughter.
May you like
Neither had he.
Until now.
