Chapter 7 - THE WARNING AGAINST VINCENT RUSSO
My mother had warned Nicholas not to trust Vincent Russo.
For a moment, I couldn't look at him.
We were sitting in his study when I received the message.
Vincent watched my face.
“What happened?”
I held up the phone.
“Nicholas says Isabella told him to stay away from your family.”
His expression tightened.
“Did she explain why?”
“No.”
He nodded slowly.
I waited for anger.
For denial.
For the kind of intimidating response powerful men gave when someone questioned them.
Instead, Vincent said, “Then we need to understand what she knew.”
That surprised me.
“You aren't offended?”
He looked at me.
“My father was involved in the foundation's financial network. I can't ask you to ignore that.”
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he continued.
“And I don't want you trusting me simply because you're staying in my house.”
I studied him.
“You're very different from the man people describe.”
His mouth curved slightly.
“People have reasons to fear me.”
I looked away.
That was the uncomfortable truth.
Vincent wasn't an innocent businessman.
He controlled legitimate restaurants, hotels, and freight companies.
But he also had a history of organized crime.
He'd used intimidation.
Authorized violence.
And benefited from systems that hurt people.
He didn't pretend otherwise.
That night, I moved into a nearby serviced apartment arranged through my attorney.
Vincent didn't object.
He made sure I had the information I needed to keep myself safe.
Then he let me leave.
For the first time, I began believing he understood the difference between protecting someone and controlling them.
Meanwhile, Rebecca continued investigating the Russo Foundation.
She discovered that Lorenzo Morelli had controlled several investment accounts connected to the old St. Catherine's program.
But the original foundation charter had been signed by Vincent's father.
Antonio Russo.
The same man Alessandro Bellini once trusted.
I stared at the documents.
“Antonio was involved from the beginning?”
Rebecca nodded.
“Yes.”
“What happened to him?”
Vincent answered quietly.
“He died nine years ago.”
“How?”
“Heart failure.”
I looked at him.
“Are you sure?”
He didn't answer immediately.
Then said, “I thought I was.”
The next morning, Rebecca recovered an archived letter written by Alessandro shortly before his death.
It was addressed to Antonio Russo.
The words were furious.
You promised the children would be protected.
Instead, you've allowed Lorenzo to use the foundation to conceal stolen money.
I stared.
My father had confronted Vincent's father.
Then he was killed.
And his wife disappeared.
A cold realization spread through me.
Perhaps Vincent was helping because he felt guilty.
Perhaps he had known the truth for years.
Or perhaps he was more involved than he'd admitted.
Then Rebecca turned another page.
The final line of Alessandro's letter read:
If you refuse to help me, I will tell Vincent what you did to his mother.
I stopped breathing.
“His mother?”
Vincent's face went white.
For a long moment, he couldn't speak.
Then he whispered:
May you like
“My mother didn't abandon us. She was one of the women working at St. Catherine's.”
And according to Alessandro's letter, she had disappeared with Isabella.
