Chapter 14 - MY BEST FRIEND OFFERED ME A WAY OUTWhen Dominic finally called, I was sitting in Samuel's office.
Rebecca Shaw had just finished reviewing the new evidence.
Samuel had made me understand something I could no longer avoid.
Cooperation did not guarantee immunity.
My decision to assist investigators might reduce the harm I could still cause.
It might help rescue people.
It might influence the charges and eventual sentence.
But it would not erase the years in which I had knowingly participated in illegal business practices.
For once, I wasn't looking for a way to escape consequences.
I was looking for a way to stop them from falling on innocent people.
My phone vibrated.
Dominic.
I looked at Shaw.
She nodded toward the device.
"Remember what we discussed."
I answered.
"Dominic."
"Vincent, my boy."
His voice was as warm as ever.
"I've been trying to reach you."
"I've been busy."
"So I hear."
I stared at the table.
"What have you heard?"
"That you've been speaking to people who don't understand how our world works."
I said nothing.
He continued.
"Listen, I know you're upset about Claire. I know the attack frightened you."
"Someone tried to take my children."
"Which is exactly why you need to be careful."
I looked at Shaw.
She remained still.
Dominic lowered his voice.
"Meet me tonight. Just the two of us. We need to talk."
"Where?"
"Our old place."
I knew immediately.
A quiet Italian restaurant in Manhattan.
My father used to take us there after important business meetings.
Dominic had always considered it neutral ground.
A place where family disagreements could be settled over dinner.
"What time?"
"Eight."
"I'll be there."
We disconnected.
Shaw looked at me.
"You understand that this isn't a chance to settle old scores."
"I understand."
"And if he threatens you?"
"I leave."
She studied me.
"Can you do that?"
I considered the question.
A month earlier, I would have said no.
Tonight, I answered honestly.
"I'll try."
Samuel closed his folder.
"Trying isn't enough if you let anger take over."
I looked at him.
"Then I'll remember my children."
That evening, investigators monitored the meeting within the limits of a legally authorized operation.
I entered the restaurant alone.
Dominic was already sitting at our old table.
He stood when he saw me.
His gray hair was neatly combed.
His expensive suit fit perfectly.
He looked like the same man who had hugged me at Claire's funeral.
The sight made me sick.
"Vincent!"
He opened his arms.
I didn't embrace him.
His smile faltered.
"What's this?"
I sat.
"We need to talk."
Dominic returned to his chair.
A waiter brought water.
Neither of us touched it.
For several seconds, Dominic studied my face.
Then he sighed.
"You're making a mistake."
"Which one?"
"Trusting outsiders."
I leaned back.
"Like Claire?"
His expression tightened.
"Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Drag your wife into business."
I stared at him.
"She's dead, Dominic."
"I know."
"You stood beside her coffin."
"I know that, too."
"You told me it was an accident."
He looked away.
"It was."
"Was it?"
Dominic's eyes returned to mine.
"Be careful."
There it was.
Not the affectionate uncle.
Not the loyal partner.
The man beneath the performance.
I spoke quietly.
"People disappeared through Pier Nineteen."
He shrugged.
"People disappear every day in New York."
"Children."
His expression flickered.
I continued.
"Leo Castillo. Sixteen years old. You were recorded with him."
Dominic went still.
Then he smiled.
"You're being manipulated."
"By whom?"
"A young girl with a sad story. A nanny who isn't what she claims to be. Federal agents who would love to take down a man like you."
I thought about Mara.
About Hannah.
About Shaw.
Then I asked:
"And what are you?"
Dominic leaned forward.
"The man who helped build everything you own."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"It should."
He lowered his voice.
"Vincent, I cleaned up your father's mistakes. I protected your interests when you were too young to understand what power costs. I made sure nobody could touch your family."
I stared at him.
"And Claire?"
His jaw tightened.
"Claire started asking questions she didn't understand."
I felt my pulse quicken.
"She understood enough."
"She was naive."
"She was trying to protect people."
"She was putting you at risk!"
His voice rose.
Several diners glanced toward us.
Dominic noticed and lowered it again.
"She didn't understand what happens when businesses like ours fall apart."
I looked at him.
"And you did?"
"Yes."
"Then tell me."
He leaned closer.
"If this becomes public, your company collapses. Your contracts disappear. Your assets get frozen. Your children spend their lives reading about their father's crimes."
I remained silent.
He continued.
"Or we handle it quietly."
"How?"
"Certain records disappear. Certain witnesses receive enough money to start over. We close a few operations and move on."
I stared at him.
"You want to buy their silence."
"I want to protect your family."
"That's what Claire said you told her."
His expression changed.
For a second, I saw real fear.
Then he recovered.
"Your wife was emotional."
I stood.
Dominic grabbed my wrist.
"Sit down."
I looked at his hand.
Slowly, he released me.
"Vincent, I'm giving you a chance."
"A chance to do what?"
"Walk away with your children."
I thought about that.
For a moment, I imagined it.
Selling the company.
Leaving New York.
Taking Emma and Noah somewhere nobody knew the Moretti name.
A place with beaches and warm evenings.
Hannah helping them learn to ride bicycles.
Rosa complaining about the grocery prices.
No reporters.
No federal charges.
No prison.
It was the dream I'd wanted since Claire died.
Then I remembered Mara.
"Where would Leo go?" I asked.
Dominic frowned.
"What?"
"If I walk away, what happens to Leo Castillo?"
He stared at me.
"And the others?"
"Vincent—"
"Do they get to go home?"
Dominic's expression hardened.
"You're being sentimental."
I shook my head.
"No."
For the first time in my life, I understood the difference.
"Claire was sentimental. She believed people could change simply because she loved them."
I leaned forward.
"I'm changing because she was right."
Dominic stood.
His chair scraped against the floor.
"You're going to destroy everything."
"No," I said. "I'm going to stop protecting what deserves to be destroyed."
For a moment, he looked as though he might strike me.
Then he smiled.
It was the coldest smile I'd ever seen.
"You always were your father's son."
I shook my head.
"That's what I'm trying to stop being."
I walked out.
No threats.
No gun.
No promises of revenge.
Just the knowledge that the man I'd called brother had become my enemy.
Outside, Samuel met me.
"You did well."
I felt empty.
"Did he say enough?"
"Investigators will evaluate it alongside the other evidence."
I looked toward the restaurant.
"He's going to run."
"That's possible."
My phone rang.
Shaw.
Her voice was urgent.
"Vincent, we need your cooperation immediately."
"What happened?"
"One of the logistics coordinators has confirmed a major unauthorized movement."
I stopped.
"Where?"
"Pier Nineteen."
"When?"
"Tonight."
I looked at the time.
8:43 p.m.
Shaw continued.
"We have reason to believe thirty-one people are being held for transfer. Several may be minors."
I felt sick.
"How long?"
Her answer was immediate.
"The departure was moved forward. We may have less than ninety minutes."
May you like
Then she said the words that made everything else disappear.
"We believe Leo Castillo is among them."
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