Chapter 7 - THE SON OF A TRAITOR
Finn Mercer had spent twenty-two years believing his father was a coward.
Thomas Mercer disappeared when Finn was nineteen.
No goodbye.
No explanation.
Just an empty closet and a bank account containing twelve dollars.
Finn's mother died believing her husband had abandoned them.
Now Finn sat inside Dante's penthouse holding a photograph of Thomas beside Adrian Valescu and Luca Cavalari.
“He knew.”
Mara sat opposite him.
“Maybe.”
Finn laughed bitterly.
“You don't put someone on a secret ledger because they knew nothing.”
Dante poured three drinks.
Mara declined hers.
Finn took two.
Dante sat.
“Where would your father hide something?”
“I haven't seen him in twenty-two years.”
“That's not what I asked.”
Finn looked irritated.
Then thoughtful.
“He repaired clocks.”
Mara frowned.
“Professionally?”
“No. Obsession. Our apartment had dozens.”
Finn suddenly stopped.
“Oh, hell.”
“What?”
“My mother kept one.”
They drove to Finn's childhood home in Oak Park.
The property had been rented for years, but Finn still owned it.
In the basement sat boxes he hadn't opened since his mother's funeral.
He found the clock wrapped in newspaper.
A wooden mantel clock.
Stopped at 4:17.
Mara and Dante exchanged a look.
Finn opened the back.
Inside was a flash drive.
And a letter.
Finn unfolded it.
Son,
If you find this, then I didn't manage to return.
I need you to understand something before you decide whether to hate me.
I left because Wexler threatened you and your mother.
I spent the rest of my life making sure he believed I was dead.
Finn stopped reading.
His hand shook.
Dante took the letter and continued.
Luca Cavalari trusted me with evidence. I failed to save him, but I saved what he died protecting.
Do not give this to Vittorio.
Do not give it to police.
Give it only to Dante when he becomes the kind of man his brother believed he could be.
Finn looked at Dante.
Neither spoke.
Mara inserted the flash drive into an offline laptop.
Files appeared.
Thousands.
Transactions.
Audio recordings.
Photographs.
Names.
Wexler's network.
Enough evidence to expose decades of corruption.
Then one video file appeared.
LUCA_FINAL.
Dante couldn't move.
Mara touched his hand.
“Do you want me to play it?”
He nodded.
Luca appeared on screen.
Twenty-three.
Alive.
Smiling nervously.
Dante's throat closed.
“If you're watching this, something went wrong.”
Luca rubbed his face.
“Dante, you're probably angry.”
Dante laughed once, painfully.
“Yeah.”
Luca continued.
“Dad isn't the monster you think he is. He's stubborn and terrifying and needs therapy, but Wexler has been using Cavalari companies to hide money.”
Even Mara smiled faintly.
Then Luca became serious.
“I tried telling Dad. Someone intercepted the message.”
He leaned closer.
“If something happens to me, don't spend your life avenging me.”
Dante's eyes burned.
“Build something better.”
Silence filled the basement.
Luca smiled one last time.
“And call Mom more. She pretends she doesn't care. It's exhausting.”
The video ended.
Dante lowered his head.
Mara stayed beside him.
Finn stared at the floor.
For years Dante had built his life around one assumption.
Power kept people safe.
Luca had left him a different instruction.
Build something better.
His phone rang.
Evelyn.
Dante answered.
“Mom?”
A man's voice responded.
“Touching family reunion?”
Wexler.
Dante stood.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing yet.”
Dante heard Evelyn breathing.
Wexler continued.
“You have something that belongs to me.”
“No.”
“Everything belongs to someone, Dante.”
“What do you want?”
“The drive.”
“Where?”
“Halcyon Grand. Midnight.”
Mara shook her head.
Dante watched her.
Wexler laughed softly.
“And bring Marina.”
“No.”
“Then Evelyn dies.”
The call ended.
Finn punched the wall.
Mara closed the laptop.
“We're going.”
Dante stared at her.
“You're not bait.”
“Neither is your mother.”
“I almost lost you once tonight.”
Mara's eyes softened.
“You don't get to lose someone you don't have.”
The sentence hurt because he wanted it to be untrue.
He stepped closer.
“Then stay when this is over.”
Mara looked at him.
The room disappeared around them.
“You barely know me.”
“I know you watch exits before entering rooms. You don't drink water when you're nervous. You make jokes when you're frightened. You hate uncertainty more than danger. And you pretend you don't need anyone because needing people gives them somewhere to hurt you.”
Mara swallowed.
“That was annoyingly specific.”
“I've been paying attention.”
She looked at his mouth, then his eyes.
“Survive midnight.”
Dante's voice lowered.
“Is that an order?”
“Yes.”
May you like
He almost smiled.
“I'm learning.”
