Chapter 9 - THE VAULT UNDER THE RESTAURANT
Laura closed at nine.
At eleven forty-five, Roman, Marco, Ethan, and I entered through the kitchen.
No Leo.
That part was nonnegotiable.
David believed I might bring him.
Instead, Leo remained with Mrs. Parker at a secure residence under six guards.
He hated it.
He wanted cartoons.
Reasonable.
The basement door stood open.
I had worked above it for eight months.
Never knew.
Concrete stairs descended beneath the building.
At the bottom:
An old wine cellar.
Empty racks.
Dust.
Then Roman moved one shelf.
Steel door.
Huge.
No visible handle.
Marco found biometric hardware.
“Old.”
Roman examined it.
“Vittorio.”
Ethan looked around.
“This was the original storage site.”
“For what?” I asked.
“Cash reserves.”
“Gold.”
“Yes.”
The scanner required three authorizations.
Duca family.
Kesler financial custodian.
Trust beneficiary.
Roman.
David or Thomas.
Leo.
My son had been included in a vault system before birth.
I wanted to destroy it.
Footsteps sounded behind us.
David.
He held a gun.
His face looked nothing like the nervous restaurant manager anymore.
“Where’s Leo?”
I stared.
“Safe.”
“You were told to bring him.”
“You fired me. I stopped taking instructions.”
Even Roman almost smiled.
David’s gun shifted toward me.
Roman moved half an inch.
David noticed.
“Don’t.”
Ethan stepped forward.
“David.”
His face twisted.
“You.”
“You knew I was alive?”
“For years.”
My stomach turned.
“How?”
David laughed.
“Who do you think kept feeding Adrian your locations?”
Ethan went pale.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because my father wanted you dead.”
“Thomas.”
“Yes.”
“Where is he?”
David smiled.
“Close.”
Then another voice came from the stairs.
“Right here.”
Thomas Kesler descended.
Sixty-three.
Silver hair.
Expensive coat.
Leo’s grandfather.
My stomach turned.
He looked at me almost kindly.
“Megan.”
“Don’t.”
His smile disappeared.
“You kept my grandson from me.”
“You murdered his father.”
“We all make mistakes.”
The casualness nearly made me sick.
Roman’s voice became ice.
“You arranged Daniel’s death.”
“He threatened everything.”
“And Ethan?”
“Loose end.”
“And Megan?”
Thomas looked at me.
“Insurance.”
I understood.
My job at Laura.
My address.
The photographs.
They had kept me close in case Leo was needed.
“Why wait?”
“Because until Adrian returned, the gold wasn’t accessible.”
“Then why stab Roman?”
Thomas looked toward Ethan.
“I didn’t.”
Silence.
Everyone turned.
Roman’s eyes sharpened.
“Who did?”
Thomas smiled.
“Ask Ethan.”
I looked at him.
Ethan went pale.
“No.”
Thomas laughed.
“Tell her.”
My heart pounded.
“Ethan.”
He closed his eyes.
“I arranged the alley meeting.”
“I know.”
“I hired the men.”
Silence.
Roman stepped forward.
“You ordered the stabbing?”
“No.”
“I ordered them to scare you.”
Roman’s expression turned lethal.
“They nearly killed me.”
“They went too far.”
I stared at Ethan.
“Why?”
“To force Roman to reopen the case.”
“You could have called him.”
“I tried.”
“So you had him attacked?”
“I needed urgency.”
My anger exploded.
“You almost got me killed too.”
“I didn’t know you’d be there.”
Exactly.
Men designing plans.
Women becoming collateral.
I stepped away.
Thomas smiled.
“See? Everyone lies.”
Then the vault beeped.
Someone upstairs had entered a remote authorization.
Third light turned green.
Roman frowned.
“Who?”
Marco checked.
His face changed.
“Adrian.”
Roman’s brother was connected remotely.
All three authorizations no longer needed Leo.
Adrian had found a workaround.
The vault opened.
Inside:
Gold bars.
Hundreds.
But on the center shelf sat one small black case.
Thomas ignored the gold.
He went for the case.
Roman understood.
“That’s what this is about.”
Thomas grabbed it.
Inside was not gold.
A ledger.
Physical.
Names.
Payments.
Murder contracts.
Judges.
Officials.
Everyone.
Thomas smiled.
Then a red laser appeared on his chest.
Adrian’s voice came through the vault speaker.
“Thank you, Father.”
I froze.
Father?
David went white.
Thomas did too.
Roman stared.
Adrian laughed.
“Surprise, brother.”
And suddenly the greatest secret in the Duca family was not about money.
May you like
Adrian Duca was not Vittorio’s biological son.
He was Thomas Kesler’s.
