Chapter 5 - The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
The photograph changed everything.
Until that moment, Lorenzo had believed Vincent wanted control of the Moretti organization.
Now he understood that his uncle was targeting the people who might expose him.
Giovanni was a witness.
Nora was a witness.
And the unborn child had become a convenient way to frighten them both.
Lorenzo moved Nora to a secure guest suite at a private medical facility outside Albany. Two female security officers remained with her, and a doctor visited twice daily.
He returned to the estate with one objective: find Vincent before Vincent could strike again.
His security chief, Marcus Reed, had served the Morettis for twelve years. He was one of the few men Lorenzo trusted without reservation.
"We traced the sedan to a vehicle registered under a false identity," Marcus reported. "The registration leads to a shell company that existed before your father's stroke."
"Who established it?"
"We're still tracing the ownership."
Lorenzo stared at the documents.
"Then trace faster."
Marcus hesitated.
"There's something else. Mrs. Gable has agreed to speak, but she insists on seeing you alone."
"She can speak to a lawyer."
"She says the information concerns your mother."
Lorenzo's expression changed.
His mother had died when he was fourteen. The official explanation was a highway accident during a winter storm.
He had never questioned it.
Not seriously.
He met Mrs. Gable in the estate's security room that evening.
She looked smaller without her uniform and her authority.
"Tell me about my mother," Lorenzo said.
Mrs. Gable twisted a handkerchief between her fingers.
"Your mother discovered that Vincent was moving money through the family businesses without your father's permission. She threatened to tell Giovanni."
"And?"
"Vincent arranged the accident."
Lorenzo's face became terrifyingly still.
"Did you see it happen?"
"No. But I saw the records. I helped destroy them."
He leaned across the table.
"You helped murder my mother?"
"I was threatened!"
"You helped cover it up."
She began sobbing.
Lorenzo turned away before he did something he couldn't reverse.
"Where are the records?"
"In the old wine cellar. Behind the eastern wall. Your father built a hidden compartment there years ago."
"Why tell me now?"
Mrs. Gable wiped her face.
"Because Vincent has promised to kill my son if I don't cooperate. And because I know what he plans to do next."
Lorenzo looked back.
"What?"
"He intends to take the organization from you at the winter charity gala tomorrow night. He has already bought the loyalty of several captains. He plans to announce that you're mentally unstable and that your father's medical condition proves the family cannot be trusted under your leadership."
Lorenzo almost laughed.
Vincent had spent five years preparing to destroy the family from within.
Now he wanted to finish the job in public.
"Where is he?"
Mrs. Gable shook her head.
"I don't know. But he has someone inside this estate."
Lorenzo searched the wine cellar with Marcus and two trusted guards.
Behind the eastern wall, they found a metal safe containing financial records, old photographs, and a small audio recorder.
The first recordings were ordinary conversations between Giovanni and his lawyers.
The last file was dated three days before the stroke.
Lorenzo pressed play.
His father's voice emerged, clear and strong.
"Vincent, I know about the accounts. I know about the contracts. And I know what happened to Maria."
A second voice answered.
Vincent.
"You should have left the past alone."
"You killed my wife."
"Your wife died because she interfered in matters she couldn't understand."
There was a crash, followed by Giovanni's voice.
"If you touch my son—"
"Your son is the easiest part of this family to control. He's young, angry, and desperate to prove himself. He'll blame himself for what happens to you. He'll spend the rest of his life trying to become a man you would respect."
Lorenzo stopped the recording.
His hands were shaking.
Marcus said nothing.
For the first time in years, Lorenzo understood why his father had warned him against trusting blood.
He had not been speaking in riddles.
He had been trying to save his son.
Then Marcus's phone rang.
He answered, listened for several seconds, and went pale.
"Boss, the hospital has a problem."
Lorenzo seized his coat.
"What problem?"
"The security officers assigned to Nora have been found unconscious."
The blood drained from Lorenzo's face.
"And Nora?"
May you like
Marcus looked at him.
"She's gone."
