Chapter 5 - The Woman Victor Couldn’t Sacrifice
Victor could have made the police disappear.
Norah knew it.
A telephone call to the right commissioner, a favor collected from the right judge, and the warrant could probably have evaporated before breakfast.
He did not do it.
Instead, he called an attorney.
“You’re letting them arrest me?”
“You have an alibi.”
“They think you ordered the murder.”
“Then hiding you would strengthen their argument.”
Norah hated that he was right.
She hated more that she trusted him enough to walk toward the front door.
Before she reached it, Victor caught her hand.
Norah turned.
His thumb pressed once against her knuckles.
“Say nothing without Anna present.”
“Anna?”
“My attorney.”
“Is she terrifying?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Victor lowered his voice.
“And Norah?”
“What?”
“I will get you out.”
The certainty in those words followed her into custody.
Six hours later, Norah walked free.
The gala footage had proved she was nowhere near her apartment when Vale was killed.
Victor waited outside.
No driver.
No entourage.
Just him.
“You came yourself.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I’m learning not to be.”
They drove in silence.
Halfway home, Norah noticed blood on his cuff.
“Victor.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Whose blood?”
He kept driving.
“Mercer sent men to Fineian’s hospital room.”
Her heart stopped.
“Fineian?”
“Safe.”
“And the blood?”
“One of theirs.”
Norah stared at his profile.
“You could have been killed.”
Victor glanced at her.
“So could your brother.”
“That isn’t what I said.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel.
Something unspoken passed between them.
At the estate, Fineian was waiting.
He had another confession.
The ledger was not the only thing he found.
He placed the brass key on the table.
“Mom left a bank number with it.”
The safe-deposit box was held under Evelyn Moretti’s original identity.
Inside they found no money.
Only a flash drive and a letter.
Norah opened it.
My beautiful children,
She stopped.
Children.
Plural.
Fineian leaned over her shoulder.
Norah continued.
Evelyn wrote that years before marrying the man Norah believed was her father, she had worked for Vittorio Russo.
She had discovered Vittorio laundering money through charities and using judges and politicians to seize waterfront property.
Daniel Russo had discovered it too.
He planned to expose his father.
Evelyn helped him.
Then Daniel died.
Evelyn stole the evidence, not the money.
She ran because Vittorio believed she possessed both.
But the letter contained another confession.
Evelyn had given birth before Norah.
A son.
For his safety, the infant had been placed with another family.
Fineian lowered himself into a chair.
“I’m adopted?”
Norah looked at him.
“No. She says you were born later.”
“Then we have a brother.”
Victor was reading over her shoulder.
“The man on the security footage.”
Norah turned.
“Mercer has him.”
The flash drive confirmed it.
Photographs showed a young man named Samuel Moretti.
Norah’s half brother.
Mercer had apparently found him years earlier.
But the final video mattered most.
Evelyn appeared on-screen.
Older than Norah remembered her.
Terrified.
“If Victor Russo ever sees this, understand something. Your brother Daniel did not die because of an accident.”
Victor froze.
“Vittorio discovered Daniel planned to testify. Elias Mercer sabotaged his car on Vittorio’s orders.”
Victor sat down.
Norah watched his face.
For once, the feared Victor Russo had no armor.
His father had murdered his brother.
His entire inheritance had been built over the grave of someone Victor loved.
Norah reached for him.
Her hand rested against his.
Victor looked at it.
Then intertwined their fingers.
No performance.
No threat.
No bargain.
Just two people sitting beside evidence that their parents had buried the truth.
The video continued.
Evelyn explained that Mercer had stolen the missing ten million himself, then blamed her.
He had spent fifteen years building his own network inside the Russo organization.
Judges.
Police.
Politicians.
Even some of Victor’s men.
The video ended.
Victor stood.
“I need names.”
Gabriel nodded.
“We’ll start checking everyone.”
Norah followed Victor into the hallway.
“Where are you going?”
“To fix this.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means Mercer spent fifteen years hiding behind my family’s name.”
“And?”
Victor faced her.
“And now I remove him.”
Norah grabbed his jacket.
“Don’t become your father trying to avenge your brother.”
His eyes dropped to her hand.
“You think there’s another way?”
“I think you do.”
He looked at her for a long time.
Then unexpectedly touched her cheek.
His palm was rough and warm.
Norah did not flinch.
Neither did he.
“You spilled wine on me twenty-four hours ago.”
“Feels longer.”
“Yes.”
His thumb brushed her cheekbone.
“You should be terrified of me.”
“I was.”
“Was?”
Norah looked into his exhausted eyes.
“Now I think you’re mostly tired.”
A quiet laugh escaped him.
It transformed his face.
Norah’s heart stumbled.
Then Victor kissed her.
Not violently.
Not possessively.
He stopped a fraction before her lips, giving her every opportunity to move.
She did not.
Norah closed the distance.
For several seconds, the world contained no dead politicians, missing brothers, or inherited sins.
Then Victor’s phone rang.
He pulled away reluctantly.
“Russo.”
His expression changed.
“When?”
He listened.
Norah saw the answer before he spoke.
Victor lowered the phone.
“Fineian is gone.”
“What?”
“Someone opened the eastern gate.”
“Who?”
Victor looked toward the security monitors.
May you like
Only one person had used an authorized code.
Gabriel.
