Chapter 5 - The Night Clara Stopped Protecting Him
The first attacker entered the cellar expecting frightened prey.
Clara smashed a bottle against his wrist.
Arthur disarmed him.
The second man never made it through the doorway.
Within 90 seconds, the cellar was silent again.
Arthur looked at Clara.
“You’ve improved.”
“You made me schedule firearms training every Thursday for 3 years.”
“I thought you hated it.”
“I hated Thursdays.”
A reluctant smile touched Arthur’s mouth.
Clara immediately looked away.
It was too familiar.
Too easy.
That frightened her.
Gregory’s men secured the estate by 2:00 a.m.
One attacker remained alive.
Arthur had him tied to a chair in the garage.
Clara entered and found Arthur rolling up his sleeves.
“No.”
Arthur glanced at her.
“No?”
“We don’t have time for your usual methods.”
“He tried to kill you.”
“And you.”
“That bothers me less.”
“It shouldn’t.”
Arthur stopped.
Clara crouched in front of the captive.
“Vincent is going to kill you anyway.”
The man remained silent.
“Arthur will hurt you first.”
Arthur folded his arms, almost amused.
Clara continued.
“I’m offering a third option.”
The captive looked at her.
“Federal custody.”
Arthur’s amusement vanished.
“Clara.”
She ignored him.
“Tell me what happens Friday.”
The man’s eyes shifted.
That was enough.
Clara leaned closer.
“What arrives at the docks?”
Nothing.
Arthur stepped forward.
The captive spoke.
“Container 614.”
Clara froze.
Arthur recognized the number.
“That’s one of ours.”
The man laughed nervously.
“Not anymore.”
“What’s inside?”
“Explosives.”
The room went silent.
Vincent intended to detonate a Costello container.
The deaths would be blamed on Arthur.
The resulting federal crackdown would destroy his organization while Vincent disappeared with millions.
“Where is Vincent?” Arthur asked.
“I don’t know.”
Arthur turned away.
Clara followed him into the corridor.
“We call Reeves.”
“No.”
“Arthur.”
“No federal agents.”
“Hundreds of people work at that port.”
“I’ll clear it.”
“And when Vincent changes the location?”
Arthur looked at her.
“You trust this agent?”
“No.”
“Good.”
“But I trust evidence.”
Arthur understood the implication.
“And what happens to me after you hand him everything?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s a lie.”
Clara’s eyes filled, but her voice remained steady.
“You think this is still about protecting you.”
“For 5 years, it always was.”
“That was my mistake.”
The words wounded him.
She saw it.
This time she did not rush to repair the damage.
“I cannot keep saving you from consequences, Arthur.”
He nodded slowly.
“Then don’t.”
Clara stared.
“Call him.”
“You mean that?”
“No.”
Arthur gave a humorless smile.
“But do it anyway.”
It was the first time Clara understood that perhaps he truly was changing.
Not because he said he loved her.
Because he was finally willing to lose something.
Even her.
Reeves arrived 40 minutes later.
Arthur disliked him immediately.
Reeves appeared to return the feeling.
“So,” Reeves said, “the legendary Arthur Costello.”
“Disappointed?”
“I expected taller.”
Clara closed her eyes.
“Can we not?”
Arthur looked at her.
“He started it.”
“Arthur.”
“Fine.”
They built the plan until sunrise.
Federal agents would quietly evacuate sections of the waterfront under the pretense of a hazardous materials inspection.
Arthur would pretend the shipment remained undisturbed.
Vincent would believe his operation was intact.
Then Clara found the second surprise.
A payment scheduled for Friday.
Recipient: G. MALLOY.
She turned the laptop toward Arthur.
Gregory entered carrying coffee.
He stopped when he saw their faces.
“What?”
Arthur slowly stood.
Gregory looked from Arthur to Clara.
“Boss?”
Clara's heart sank.
Gregory had served Arthur for 12 years.
He had been there at funerals.
Weddings.
Wars.
Arthur walked toward him.
“What did Vincent pay you for?”
Gregory went white.
“No.”
Arthur's voice remained frighteningly calm.
“Tell me.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“Then explain it.”
Gregory’s hands began shaking.
“Vincent approached me 2 months ago.”
Arthur said nothing.
“He wanted your schedule. Your routes. I told him no.”
“Then why did he pay you?”
Gregory swallowed.
“Because I told him yes.”
Arthur reached for his gun.
Clara caught his wrist.
“Wait.”
Gregory spoke quickly.
“I took the money because Clara asked me to.”
Everything stopped.
Arthur turned toward her.
Clara slowly released his wrist.
“You knew?”
“I needed someone Vincent believed he had bought.”
Gregory nodded.
“I’ve been feeding him garbage for 6 weeks.”
Arthur stared at both of them.
“You two ran a counterintelligence operation inside my organization without telling me.”
Clara lifted an eyebrow.
“You called me a highly paid secretary.”
Gregory coughed to hide a laugh.
Arthur glared at him.
Gregory immediately became fascinated by his coffee.
Then Arthur looked back at Clara.
And, astonishingly, laughed.
A genuine laugh.
Short.
Disbelieving.
Almost warm.
Clara had heard it perhaps twice in 5 years.
Her chest tightened.
Arthur shook his head.
“You were running my empire while I thought you were organizing my calendar.”
“No,” Clara said quietly.
“I was keeping you alive.”
His smile disappeared.
May you like
Their eyes held.
And this time, neither pretended not to understand what lived between them.
