Chapter 6 - THE WOMAN HE COULDN’T FIRE
Vincent had spent seven years believing his father died of a heart attack.
The death certificate said so.
The doctor confirmed it.
Vincent had buried him beneath a marble headstone overlooking Lake Michigan and inherited an empire he had never fully wanted.
Now a letter written three weeks before Antonio Costa's death suggested murder.
Khloe read it twice.
“This changes everything.”
“Yes.”
“Are you okay?”
Vincent almost laughed.
Nobody asked him that.
Not Gabriel.
Not his captains.
Not the hundreds of employees whose livelihoods depended on him.
Power made concern awkward.
“I don't know.”
Khloe sat beside him in the dusty chapel.
“You don't have to know immediately.”
Vincent looked at her.
“You always have an answer?”
“No. Usually I have anxiety. Occasionally it sounds intelligent.”
He smiled despite himself.
They returned to the estate before dawn.
Rebecca Sloan examined the ledger.
It documented thirteen years of payments.
Judges.
Police officials.
Union executives.
City council members.
And one United States senator.
Sloan stared at Vincent.
“You understand what this can do?”
“Yes.”
“It can destroy your enemies.”
Vincent shook his head.
“It can destroy everyone.”
Including him.
The ledger contained references to Costa operations.
Some dated back to his father.
Some involved Vincent.
He could redact them.
He could bargain.
Instead he made a choice.
“Take everything.”
Sloan studied him.
“Why?”
Vincent looked through the glass doors toward Khloe.
She was sitting on the terrace wrapped in his coat, sketching sunrise over the lake.
“I'm tired.”
Sloan followed his gaze.
“Of crime?”
“Of becoming someone I don't recognize.”
Sloan understood more than he said.
The deal took forty-eight hours.
Vincent would cooperate fully.
Costa Logistics would undergo restructuring.
Illegal operations would end.
Assets connected directly to criminal proceeds would be surrendered.
Vincent would face penalties.
Possibly prison.
But his cooperation, the ledger, and evidence against Holloway could dramatically reduce the consequences.
Khloe learned about the deal accidentally.
She heard Gabriel arguing with Vincent.
“You could go away.”
“I know.”
“For years.”
“I know.”
Khloe stepped into the doorway.
Vincent saw her.
Gabriel left quietly.
“You're going to prison?”
“Possibly.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because you've had enough to worry about.”
“That isn't your decision.”
Vincent's jaw tightened.
“Khloe.”
“No.”
She surprised herself.
“No?”
“You don't get to decide what I can handle.”
Vincent stared at her.
She approached.
“You keep protecting everyone by shutting them out.”
“That usually works.”
“Does it?”
The question landed.
Vincent looked away.
Khloe's anger softened.
“You put a blanket over me because I was cold.”
He glanced back.
“You noticed.”
“I woke up under it, Vincent.”
His first name changed the room.
Khloe realized what she'd done.
Neither corrected it.
“You could have thrown me outside,” she continued. “You could have signed those documents. You could have protected yourself instead of turning over the ledger.”
Vincent stepped closer.
“You think that makes me good?”
“I think good people aren't people who've never done anything wrong.”
“Khloe.”
“They're people who eventually stop making excuses.”
Silence.
He was close enough now that she could see the exhaustion beneath his eyes.
Vincent raised his hand.
Stopped.
Then gently moved a loose strand of hair from her face.
Khloe didn't retreat.
His fingers lingered near her cheek.
Something passed between them.
Warm.
Dangerous.
Undeniable.
Then Gabriel entered.
“Vincent.”
They separated instantly.
Gabriel looked at the ceiling.
“I have exceptionally bad timing.”
“What?”
“Holloway knows about the ledger.”
Vincent's expression hardened.
“How?”
“Leak inside Sloan's office.”
The federal safe house protecting Diane was immediately relocated.
Security doubled.
But Holloway no longer cared about Khloe.
He wanted Vincent.
That evening, a package arrived.
No return address.
Inside was a photograph of Vincent leaving the chapel.
And a bullet.
Khloe stared at it.
Vincent remained calm.
Too calm.
“What does it mean?”
“He wants me frightened.”
“Are you?”
“No.”
Khloe looked at him.
“Liar.”
Vincent almost smiled.
Then the estate lights went out.
Every window became black.
Gabriel's voice exploded through the radio.
“Generator isn't responding.”
Vincent grabbed Khloe.
“Down.”
Glass shattered.
A bullet struck the wall where Vincent's head had been.
Security opened fire outside.
Vincent pulled Khloe behind the stone fireplace.
She was shaking.
“Stay here.”
“Where are you going?”
“To end this.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
Khloe grabbed his shirt.
“You don't get to become a better man for three days and then die dramatically. That's terrible character development.”
Even then, he almost laughed.
Another shot hit the window.
Vincent covered her body with his.
Then he whispered something she would remember for the rest of her life.
“I wasn't afraid of dying until you started making me want tomorrow.”
Khloe's breath caught.
May you like
Vincent looked at her once.
Then disappeared into the darkness.
