Chapter 5 - THE HOUSE HAD MORE THAN ONE TRAITOR
By dawn, I had three teams searching every property Gabriel Romano had owned, rented, borrowed, inherited, or hidden during the last decade.
Nothing.
No Adrian.
No recent photographs.
No medical records.
No travel history.
Gabriel himself remained missing.
Dante Keller sat in the basement interrogation room with a bruise on his pride and very little patience.
I entered alone.
He looked at me.
“You found the key.”
“Why did Adrian trust you?”
Keller leaned back.
“He didn’t.”
“Good answer.”
“He trusted me more than he trusted everyone else.”
“Which is apparently not much.”
“No.”
“Did you know Zoe was his daughter?”
“Yes.”
My jaw tightened.
“How long?”
“Three years.”
I nearly crossed the table.
But I remembered Adrian’s letter.
Do not kill him before he explains.
Annoying even from beyond the grave.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because Adrian ordered me not to.”
“Adrian was dead.”
Keller stared at me.
“Was he?”
Silence.
“You knew.”
“I knew he survived the fire.”
“For how long?”
“Six months.”
I stood.
Keller did not flinch.
“Sit down, Luca.”
The use of my first name nearly ended his life.
“Careful.”
“You need the truth more than you need respect right now.”
I sat.
Barely.
Keller continued.
“The warehouse fire was staged.”
“By Gabriel?”
“With help from someone in your father’s old network.”
“Who?”
“I never knew.”
“Why Adrian?”
“He found out Gabriel had been siphoning money through Romano freight contracts.”
“That matches the files.”
“Adrian wanted proof before telling you.”
“Why?”
“Because he knew you.”
I stared.
“He thought you’d start a war before he finished investigating.”
I almost laughed.
“He was right.”
“Yes.”
That hurt.
“What happened at the warehouse?”
“Gabriel lured him there. There was an explosion. We thought Adrian died.”
“But?”
“Two weeks later, I received a message.”
“From him?”
“Yes.”
Keller’s expression changed.
“He said Gabriel had him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because the message said if you knew, Claire died.”
I gripped the table.
“And you obeyed?”
“At first.”
“What changed?”
“Six months later, Adrian sent proof he was alive and a location.”
“The Lake Geneva club.”
“Yes.”
“Did you go?”
“I tried.”
“What happened?”
“Empty building. Blood on the floor. Nothing else.”
“Then?”
“No more messages.”
I stared at him.
“You spent six years doing nothing?”
His eyes hardened.
“I spent six years looking.”
“And last night?”
“Gabriel contacted me three weeks ago.”
“What did he want?”
“Claire and Zoe.”
“You agreed.”
“I pretended to.”
“That explanation becomes less convincing every minute.”
“He said Adrian was alive.”
Everything stopped.
“What?”
Keller leaned forward.
“Gabriel claims Adrian is still alive.”
My chest tightened.
“Where?”
“He wouldn’t say.”
“And you believed him?”
“He sent a recording.”
I stared.
“Show me.”
Keller laughed bitterly.
“You took my phone.”
I called Marco.
Minutes later, the video was playing.
The quality was poor.
A man sat in a dim room.
Thinner.
Bearded.
Hair nearly gray.
But Claire had been right about the hand.
The crooked finger.
Adrian.
He lifted his face toward the camera.
“Dante.”
My throat closed.
“Don’t bring Zoe.”
The recording shook.
“Whatever Gabriel says, don’t bring my daughter.”
He looked directly into the lens.
“If Luca is alive, tell him—”
The video ended.
I replayed it.
Again.
Again.
Claire appeared in the doorway.
She must have followed Marco.
When she saw Adrian, her knees nearly gave out.
I caught her.
She stared at the screen.
“He’s alive.”
Her whole body shook.
“He’s alive.”
I did not know whether to feel joy or rage.
Both burned the same.
“When was this sent?” I asked.
Keller answered.
“Nine days ago.”
Nine days.
Not seven years.
Nine days.
My brother was alive.
Somewhere.
Claire turned on Keller.
“You were going to hand us over?”
“No.”
“You opened the gate!”
“I was trying to make Gabriel believe I would trade you.”
“With my child?”
“I had men positioned outside.”
“Men who disappeared when the lights came back.”
Keller’s face tightened.
“Because someone changed the plan.”
I looked at him.
“Who?”
“That is what I’ve been trying to tell you.”
He looked toward the ceiling.
“You have another traitor.”
Of course.
“Name.”
“I don’t know.”
“Guess.”
“Someone knew you came home early.”
“Half the house knew after I arrived.”
“No.”
Keller shook his head.
“Gabriel knew before you reached the mansion.”
I stared.
“How?”
“That convoy was waiting before the blackout.”
Marco spoke from the doorway.
“Only three people knew the New York war ended early.”
I turned.
“Who?”
“You.”
“Yes.”
“Me.”
“Yes.”
“And Vincent.”
Vincent Romano.
My uncle.
My father’s youngest brother.
The man who had served as my adviser since I took control.
The man who held Adrian’s coffin with me.
The man who told me revenge was the only language our enemies respected.
No.
Claire saw my expression.
“Who is Vincent?”
“Family.”
Keller laughed without humor.
“That’s usually where the problem starts.”
I released him.
Not because I trusted him.
Because I needed everyone who might know Gabriel.
At breakfast, Vincent arrived exactly on time.
Gray suit.
Silver hair.
Expensive cigar in his pocket.
Sweet smoke.
Zoe’s description.
I watched him walk into the dining room.
Zoe sat beside Claire eating cereal.
The moment Vincent entered, she stopped chewing.
Her little hand found her mother’s.
He smiled.
“Luca. I heard there was trouble.”
I looked at Zoe.
“Zoe.”
She looked at me.
“Is that the fancy man?”
Silence.
Vincent’s smile disappeared.
Claire went pale.
Zoe pointed.
“He was with Mr. Keller.”
Vincent stared at her.
Just one second too long.
Then he laughed.
“Children imagine things.”
Zoe frowned.
“I don’t.”
I almost smiled.
Vincent turned to me.
“What is this?”
I stood.
“A question.”
“About?”
“My brother.”
His expression remained controlled.
“Adrian is dead.”
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“I didn’t ask if he was alive.”
For the first time, Vincent looked worried.
Marco entered behind him.
Then Keller.
Vincent saw Dante and understood.
His entire body changed.
Not panic.
Calculation.
He reached slowly toward his jacket.
Marco stopped him.
“Don’t.”
Vincent smiled.
“You think I betrayed you?”
“I think Zoe saw you at my gate.”
“She’s six.”
“She also recognized Keller before anyone told her his name.”
Vincent looked at Claire.
Recognition appeared.
“So.”
Claire moved Zoe behind her.
Vincent’s eyes narrowed.
“Adrian’s girl.”
I stepped between them.
“You look at her again and you’ll regret surviving this morning.”
He lifted both hands.
“Luca, listen.”
“Where is Adrian?”
“I don’t know.”
“Wrong answer.”
“I’m telling you the truth.”
“Then tell me what you do know.”
Vincent looked around the room.
At Marco.
Keller.
Claire.
Zoe.
Then me.
“Gabriel never wanted control of the Romano organization.”
“What did he want?”
“Revenge.”
“For what?”
“For what your father did to his.”
I felt old family history rising like poison.
“What did my father do?”
Vincent’s voice dropped.
“He stole the company.”
I stared.
“Our grandfather left Romano Shipping equally to both sons.”
“My father and Gabriel’s father.”
“Yes.”
“But your father forged documents after your grandfather’s stroke. Forced his brother out.”
I said nothing.
Vincent continued.
“Gabriel grew up knowing your father had stolen his family’s future.”
“That explains hatred.”
“Not everything.”
“What else?”
Vincent looked at Zoe.
“Adrian discovered the truth.”
My stomach tightened.
“He planned to expose it?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“Your father was still alive then.”
“No.”
Vincent nodded.
“The order to stop Adrian didn’t come from Gabriel.”
The room disappeared around me.
“Who gave it?”
Vincent looked directly into my eyes.
“Your father.”
I stared at him.
“My father died believing Adrian was already dead.”
“He died believing he had protected you.”
I could barely breathe.
Vincent continued.
“He ordered Adrian taken, not killed.”
“Why?”
“Because Adrian intended to hand company records to prosecutors.”
Claire whispered, “He was trying to end all of it.”
“Yes.”
“Then the warehouse?”
Vincent looked toward the floor.
“Gabriel changed the plan.”
My father had ordered my brother kidnapped.
My cousin had turned it into a disappearance.
And Vincent had known.
“You buried an empty coffin beside me.”
Vincent said nothing.
“You watched me start a war.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because that war made you stronger.”
I crossed the distance before anyone could stop me.
I grabbed his jacket.
But then I heard a small voice.
“Uncle Luca.”
Zoe.
I froze.
She was crying.
Not loudly.
Just frightened.
I released Vincent.
Slowly.
Claire pulled Zoe close.
I looked at the child.
Adrian’s daughter.
The reminder he had left me.
Do better than Father did with us.
I stepped back.
“Take Vincent downstairs.”
Marco did.
Before the door closed, Vincent looked at me.
“If Gabriel still has Adrian, he won’t keep him much longer.”
“Why?”
“Because now you know.”
The door shut.
Claire looked at me.
“Then we find him.”
I nodded.
And for the first time in seven years, I was not preparing for revenge.
May you like
I was preparing to bring my brother home.
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