Chapter 13 - Roman Turns Against His Own Inner Circle
Adrian's confession should have broken Roman's trust permanently.
Instead, it revealed something more complicated.
Adrian had met my father twice.
The first time four years earlier in Montreal.
The second time three months before Christmas.
Dad approached him because he needed information about old DeLuca corporate structures.
He didn't trust Roman yet.
That hurt Roman more than he admitted.
“Why not me?”
Adrian sat across from him.
“Because your father didn't trust James.”
“I am not my father.”
“James didn't know that.”
Roman looked away.
Adrian continued.
“He watched you.”
That got his attention.
“What?”
“News. Business decisions. People you fired. People you protected.”
Dad had been deciding whether Roman could be trusted.
Eventually, he decided yes.
Then Vivian became engaged to him.
“That changed everything,” Adrian said.
“James recognized her.”
I frowned.
“How?”
“He knew Howard had a daughter.”
Dad suspected the engagement meant Howard had penetrated the DeLuca family again.
So he delayed contact.
Until Christmas Eve.
The night I nearly died.
Dad had sent Adrian one message.
They found Claire. I have to come back.
My throat tightened.
“He knew?”
“Within hours.”
“How?”
“Daniel.”
Daniel Voss had become Dad's secret source.
The man I thought was waiting to kill me had been helping my father.
Daniel stayed close to Howard for years.
Why?
Guilt.
Because he had delivered the altered medication to Dr. Keene.
He didn't know what it was at the time.
When he learned, Howard owned him.
Daniel spent years trying to undo what he had helped cause.
Roman leaned toward Adrian.
“Where is he now?”
“Daniel?”
“Yes.”
“I don't know.”
Then Marco entered.
“We do.”
Traffic cameras captured Daniel near Newark Airport.
He had arrived twenty minutes earlier.
Roman ordered teams into position.
I was going.
No one argued this time.
Maybe they were tired.
Maybe Roman finally understood I would simply follow.
Newark Airport was crowded despite winter delays.
We waited in a private service area.
Adrian stood beside me.
“I should have told you.”
“Yes.”
“Your father begged me not to.”
“He doesn't get to control my life from another country.”
“No.”
Adrian smiled sadly.
“You sound exactly like him.”
Then the door opened.
Daniel Voss entered.
The man from the snow.
Without the hat, I recognized him completely.
Older now.
Gray at the temples.
Black-beaded bracelet still around his wrist.
He stopped when he saw me.
“Claire.”
I stiffened.
Roman moved subtly closer.
Daniel noticed.
“You don't need to protect her from me.”
Roman's voice was cold.
“I'll decide that.”
Daniel almost smiled.
“You're Alessandro's son.”
“Unfortunately.”
Daniel looked at me again.
“I was trying to help you at the carriage house.”
“I know.”
“I should have approached differently.”
“Yes.”
“I didn't expect Vivian to send you alone.”
“Who did you expect?”
“Her.”
That surprised everyone.
Howard told Daniel to retrieve forged asset documents from the carriage house.
Vivian was supposed to deliver them.
Instead, she sent me.
“When I saw you,” Daniel said, “I realized Howard had changed the plan.”
“Why did you reach into your coat?”
“To give you my phone.”
“The recording.”
“Yes.”
The storm panicked both of us.
I ran.
He followed because he thought I would collapse.
Then Roman's security came outside.
Daniel fled.
“Why?”
“Because Howard had people inside the security detail.”
Roman's head snapped up.
“Who?”
Daniel looked around.
“Is Marco here?”
Roman's face became unreadable.
“He's outside.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Then we have a problem.”
My stomach dropped.
Marco.
Roman's chief of security.
The man who had protected us.
Found evidence.
Managed investigations.
Daniel continued.
“Marco Bellini has been taking money from Howard for three years.”
Roman said nothing.
I almost didn't believe it.
Then Daniel handed over bank records.
Payments routed through Marco's brother-in-law's construction company.
Regular.
Large.
Roman stared at them.
“Why?”
“He had gambling debt.”
Roman looked furious.
Not loud.
Worse.
“He could have come to me.”
“Shame makes people stupid.”
Daniel spoke carefully.
“Marco gave Howard internal schedules. Employee records. Access codes.”
My personnel file.
Adrian's access.
Lily's apartment.
Everything.
The threat had been standing beside us the entire time.
Roman immediately called a trusted secondary team.
“Detain Marco.”
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Then Roman's phone received a message.
From Marco.
A photograph.
Lily.
Sitting inside a vehicle.
Terrified but unharmed.
Text:
Bring Claire and the Bennett authorization documents to the Port Morris warehouse. No police.
I stopped breathing.
Roman looked at me.
“No.”
I took the phone.
My sister's face filled the screen.
Fear stripped away every other thought.
“I have to go.”
Roman shook his head.
“We're not giving them what they want.”
“Then give them what they think they want.”
Everyone looked at me.
Dad had spent years making Howard believe I held the final key.
Maybe that could become our advantage.
I turned to Adrian.
“Can you create transfer papers?”
“Yes.”
“Convincing ones?”
“For a few minutes.”
Roman understood.
“Absolutely not.”
I looked at him.
“Howard wants my signature.”
“And Marco has Lily.”
“Exactly.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“There may be another way.”
Howard didn't know Daniel had fully defected.
Marco might not either.
Daniel could enter first.
Create confusion.
Locate Lily.
Roman looked at me.
Too many emotions behind his eyes.
“If this goes wrong—”
“It already went wrong eight years ago.”
I took his hand.
“Let me finish it.”
He stared at our joined hands.
Then at me.
“This isn't yours to finish alone.”
And just like that, Roman DeLuca stopped treating me like someone he needed to save.
He treated me like a partner.
May you like
Together, we prepared to walk into Howard Mercer's trap—without knowing that Marco had already told him exactly what we planned.
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