Chapter 5 - The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Her Enemy
Alex went to the one place nobody connected to Preston knew about.
Her grandmother’s apartment in Astoria.
Helen Carter had died four years earlier, but Alex had never sold it.
At 2:16 a.m., she sat on the old floral sofa wearing a borrowed sweatshirt and stared at evidence photographs on her laptop.
Something bothered her.
Costa Maritime.
Why place Roman’s company inside the laundering chain?
Preston hated Roman.
Charles feared him.
So why send money to him?
Unless they wanted investigators to see it.
Alex enlarged the transfer.
Receiving account: Costa Maritime Holdings 7714.
She searched corporate filings.
Nothing.
Then old invoices.
Still nothing.
At 3:04 a.m., Alex found it.
Roman’s legitimate accounts used the name Costa Maritime Group, not Holdings.
The company on Melissa’s drive was fake.
She immediately called Roman.
He answered before the first ring finished.
“Where are you?”
“Nice try.”
Silence.
Then:
“You found something.”
“The account isn’t yours.”
Roman exhaled.
“No.”
“You already knew?”
“Twenty-three minutes ago.”
Alex almost smiled.
“I beat you by six.”
“Insufferable woman.”
“Fake company. Similar name. They wanted money to look connected to you.”
“Yes.”
“So Preston wasn’t just framing me.”
“No.”
“He was framing both of us.”
Roman’s voice hardened.
“And using you as the bridge.”
Alex looked through the window.
A black SUV sat across the street.
Her pulse jumped.
“Roman.”
“What?”
“There’s a car outside.”
“Description.”
She gave it.
“Move away from the window.”
Headlights came on.
The SUV crossed the street.
Alex backed up.
Then someone knocked.
Three slow knocks.
Her breath stopped.
“Roman?”
“I’m twelve minutes away.”
The knock came again.
Then a voice.
“Alex.”
Preston.
She went cold.
Roman heard it.
“Do not open that door.”
“Alex,” Preston called. “Please.”
She whispered, “How did he find me?”
Roman said, “We’ll discuss that after I stop myself from killing him.”
“Helpful.”
Preston knocked again.
“I know you’re inside.”
Alex looked toward the fire escape.
Third floor.
Bad option.
“Alex, I came alone.”
Roman said through the phone, “He didn’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Men like Preston never do.”
Alex approached the door but kept the chain secured.
“What do you want?”
Preston’s voice softened.
“The woman I love.”
For three years, those words would have melted her.
Now they made her furious.
“You announced an engagement to another woman.”
“That’s business.”
“You framed me for fraud.”
Silence.
Then:
“I can explain.”
“Please do. I’d love to hear the romantic version.”
“Charles Kensington controls everything. My career. Accounts. Clients. He threatened both of us.”
“You laughed when you called me a prop.”
Preston went silent.
That was answer enough.
Alex closed her eyes.
“I heard everything.”
His tone changed.
The softness disappeared.
“You shouldn’t have followed me.”
There he was.
Alex quietly activated the recording function on a second device.
“You forged my signature.”
“I protected you as long as I could.”
“By putting three million dollars in my name?”
“You were never supposed to discover it.”
“Remarkably comforting.”
“Give me Melissa’s drive.”
Alex’s heart kicked.
“How do you know about it?”
Silence.
Preston realized his mistake.
Alex smiled without humor.
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Confirming it matters.”
A violent удар struck the door.
The chain jumped.
Alex backed away.
“Preston?”
Another удар.
The wood cracked.
Roman’s voice exploded through the phone.
“Alex, get away from the door.”
It burst open.
But Preston wasn’t the one coming through.
A masked man rushed inside.
Alex grabbed the brass lamp from her grandmother’s table and swung.
It connected with his shoulder.
He cursed.
She swung again.
The man caught her wrist.
Then the hallway erupted.
Roman hit him hard enough to send both men into the wall.
Daniel tackled a second attacker outside.
Preston stood near the stairwell, horrified.
“I didn’t bring them!”
Roman drove his fist into the masked man’s jaw.
“Roman!”
Alex grabbed his arm before he could strike again.
Roman turned.
For a second, she saw something frightening in him.
Then he saw her.
It vanished.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
He checked anyway.
Her face.
Her arms.
Her wrists.
His hands were careful.
Preston stared.
“You’re sleeping with him?”
Alex almost laughed.
“That is what concerns you?”
Roman slowly turned.
Preston stepped backward.
Roman approached.
“You framed her.”
“You don’t understand.”
“You sent men after her.”
“I didn’t!”
For once, Alex believed him.
Because Preston looked genuinely terrified.
She stepped between them.
“Stop.”
Roman looked at her.
“The attackers weren’t Preston’s.”
“How do you know?”
Alex looked at the masked man.
He wore a signet ring.
She had seen it before.
At the gala.
On Charles Kensington’s hand.
Roman followed her gaze.
His face hardened.
Preston saw it too.
Then everything changed.
“My God,” he whispered.
Alex looked at him.
“What?”
Preston’s voice shook.
“Sabrina doesn’t know.”
“Know what?”
“Her father isn’t cleaning up the fraud.”
He stared at the ring.
“He’s cleaning up everyone who knows about it.”
Preston pulled out his phone.
Twenty-three missed calls from Sabrina.
Then a message sent nine minutes earlier.
Dad knows I told you. Please help me.
Attached was a photograph.
Sabrina sat inside a car.
May you like
Behind her, barely visible, was Charles Kensington.
And beside him was a gun.
