Chapter 5 - THE MAN WHO STOOD BESIDE THE DEVIL
Vincent drew his pistol.
Norah stepped away from the bed.
"You're telling me Daniel Cross is my father?" she whispered.
Carmine closed his eyes.
"He was the one who arranged the smuggling operation. He was the one who discovered the missing money. And he was the one who convinced me Evelyn had stolen it."
"Why would he do that?"
"Because she found out what he was really moving through those docks."
Carmine struggled for breath.
"Not weapons. Not cash. People."
The room seemed to lose all its air.
Norah stared at the old man.
"You mean human trafficking?"
Carmine nodded.
"My son was too young to know. I told myself I could control Daniel. I told myself the money and the violence were necessary to protect the family."
His voice cracked.
"Then thirty men discovered the truth. Daniel locked them inside the warehouse. I arrived too late to save them."
"And you let everyone believe my mother caused it?"
Carmine's eyes filled with tears.
"Yes."
Norah slapped him.
The sound echoed across the room.
Vincent didn't stop her.
Carmine turned his face back toward her.
"I deserved that."
A knock came from the door.
"Mr. Marino?" Daniel called. "Everything all right in there?"
Vincent moved toward the entrance.
"Not anymore."
He opened the door.
Daniel stood in the hallway wearing a dark suit and a calm smile. Two guards followed behind him.
"Vincent. We've got a serious security breach. I need to speak with you privately."
Vincent raised his weapon.
"Put your hands where I can see them."
Daniel's smile disappeared.
"What is this?"
"How long have you been lying to me?"
Daniel glanced toward Norah.
Then he looked at Carmine.
For the first time, his expression revealed something beneath the polished exterior.
Hatred.
"Your father is dying," he said. "He's confused. You shouldn't be listening to him."
"Thirty men died at Belladonna."
"Thirty men made the mistake of interfering with a business they didn't understand."
Vincent's jaw tightened.
"And Evelyn?"
Daniel's gaze moved to Norah.
"She was a fool who thought she could save everyone."
Norah felt her stomach twist.
"Did you kill her?"
Daniel ignored her.
He took a slow step toward Vincent.
"Listen to me. Your father built an empire that will collapse the moment he dies. Everything I've done has been to protect you."
"By burning thirty men alive?"
"By doing what was necessary."
Vincent's pistol never wavered.
Daniel sighed.
"You have no idea how much blood is on your hands because of the people who raised you."
"Then tell me."
Daniel's eyes hardened.
"No."
A gunshot shattered the silence.
One of the guards fell.
Vincent spun toward the sound.
Daniel had drawn a weapon from inside his jacket.
Norah dropped behind the bed as bullets tore into the doorframe.
Vincent fired twice.
Daniel staggered, clutching his shoulder, but managed to escape into the hallway.
"Lock the house down!" Vincent shouted.
His men rushed past.
Norah crawled toward Carmine.
The old man was conscious, breathing hard.
"There's a second ledger," he whispered.
"Where?"
"Your mother hid it somewhere Daniel would never think to look."
"Where?"
Carmine gripped her wrist.
"The dead keys."
Norah froze.
The phrase triggered a memory: the battered piano at the St. Jude Hotel, where the middle E and the G-sharp above it had been broken.
"My mother knew that piano?"
Carmine nodded.
"She used to play there. Before everything happened."
Norah stared at him.
"You hired me because you knew who I was."
"I suspected."
"Vincent said he found me because I was quiet."
Carmine's face crumpled.
"That was his reason. Not mine."
A nurse rushed in and checked his monitors.
"His blood pressure is dropping. I need everyone to step back."
Vincent returned, blood streaking his sleeve.
"Daniel escaped through the service tunnel."
Norah stood.
"Then I'm going back to the St. Jude."
Vincent looked at her.
"Absolutely not."
"My mother left something there. Something Daniel needs."
"Which means he'll be waiting for you."
"Then I'll make sure he sees me coming."
Vincent stared at her for a long moment.
Finally, he holstered his pistol.
"You're not going alone."
Norah reached for her coat.
Before they left, Carmine called her name.
She turned.
"The song your mother taught you," he whispered. "There's a verse you don't know."
He struggled to lift his head.
"Find the missing ledger. Then play the final verse."
His eyes closed.
The monitor began to beep more slowly.
The nurse shouted for assistance.
Vincent grabbed Norah's hand and pulled her into the hallway.
Behind them, Carmine Marino's heart stopped.
And as the medical team rushed to save him, the old man's final words followed Norah through the door.
May you like
"Ask Daniel why he never let your mother finish the song."
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