Chapter 3 - The Brother Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Dominic watched the sedan disappear around the corner.
“Get in the car.”
Chloe heard the change in his voice.
“What happened?”
“Now.”
She climbed into the Mercedes.
Dominic locked the doors and drove.
For five minutes, he said nothing.
“Dominic.”
Nothing.
“You’re doing the scary silence again.”
His jaw tightened.
“Leo thinks he saw Adrian.”
Chloe stopped breathing.
“What?”
“On the alley camera.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Apparently not.”
Her hand covered her mouth.
“Is he sure?”
“Leo doesn’t make mistakes like that.”
“Then turn around.”
“No.”
“If Adrian is there—”
“He’s gone.”
“We have to find him.”
“My people will.”
“Dominic, that’s your brother.”
“Exactly.”
She stared at him.
“You don’t trust him.”
Dominic’s eyes remained on the road.
“I trust very few people.”
“Do you trust me?”
The question slipped out before she could stop it.
Dominic glanced at her.
“I drove across Chicago in ten minutes because you sent me four words.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting tonight.”
The Russo penthouse occupied the top three floors of a tower overlooking the river.
Chloe had worked there many times but never entered the private residential level.
Dominic led her inside.
The apartment was enormous.
Beautiful.
And strangely empty.
No family photographs.
No clutter.
No evidence that anyone actually lived there except a glass of water beside a stack of documents.
“You can use the guest room.”
Chloe followed him.
The bedroom was larger than her apartment.
Dominic placed her suitcase beside the bed.
“There are clothes in the closet.”
“Women’s clothes?”
“For guests.”
Chloe raised an eyebrow.
Dominic sighed.
“My housekeeper keeps basics in multiple sizes.”
“Oh.”
Something about her obvious relief irritated and amused him simultaneously.
“I’ll be downstairs.”
“You’re leaving?”
“No.”
“Good.”
The word escaped Chloe softly.
Dominic looked back.
She immediately looked away.
He left without comment.
At four in the morning, Chloe still could not sleep.
She changed into the ivory satin robe she found folded in the guest bathroom and walked downstairs.
Dominic stood beside the windows.
His wet clothes had been replaced with black trousers and a dark shirt.
The brass key lay on the counter.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked.
“No.”
“Neither can I.”
She approached.
“Did Leo find Adrian?”
“No.”
Chloe looked at the key.
“317.”
Dominic nodded.
“I ran the number against properties Adrian used.”
“And?”
“Nothing.”
Chloe suddenly remembered something.
“Union Station.”
Dominic turned.
“What?”
“When Adrian came to my apartment, he smelled like train smoke.”
“Train smoke?”
“I know that sounds ridiculous.”
“Continue.”
“He had a luggage tag on his jacket. I remember because I asked whether he was leaving Chicago.”
Dominic picked up the key.
Twenty-five minutes later, they entered Chicago Union Station with two security men following at a distance.
Locker 317 stood along an older corridor.
The brass key fit.
Dominic opened it.
Inside sat a single black envelope.
He removed it.
Written across the front were two words.
For Dominic.
Chloe’s pulse jumped.
Dominic opened the envelope.
Inside was a flash drive and a handwritten note.
He recognized Adrian’s handwriting immediately.
Dom—
If Chloe gives you this, things went worse than I hoped. Don’t blame her. She knows almost nothing. David helped me discover something inside the company. Someone close to you has been selling information. I disappeared because staying near you would have gotten you killed.
Dominic’s expression hardened.
Chloe read over his shoulder.
The note continued.
Don’t trust the obvious enemy. Trust the person who has nothing to gain.
Then one final line.
And if you’re reading this, they’ve probably already noticed Chloe.
Dominic lowered the paper.
Chloe whispered, “Someone inside Russo Holdings?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out.”
The flash drive contained hundreds of encrypted files.
Back at the penthouse, Dominic’s security team worked through dawn.
At 7:30 a.m., Leo entered.
His face was grim.
“We cracked part of it.”
Dominic looked up.
“Show me.”
Financial records appeared across the large monitor.
Millions of dollars had moved through shell corporations.
Construction bids.
Property acquisitions.
Payments.
Chloe stared at the dates.
Then she noticed something.
“Wait.”
Dominic looked at her.
She moved closer.
“These invoices.”
“What?”
“I’ve seen them.”
“Where?”
“In quarterly expense reconciliations.”
She pointed.
“These numbers are disguised as consulting fees.”
Leo frowned.
“Can you trace them?”
Chloe sat down.
For the next hour, the shy assistant disappeared.
In her place was the terrifyingly competent woman Dominic had hired.
She compared spreadsheets.
Cross-referenced dates.
Opened archived ledgers.
Finally she stopped.
“All of them were approved by the same executive authorization.”
Dominic leaned closer.
“Whose?”
Chloe clicked.
The screen displayed a name.
Vincent Russo.
Dominic’s uncle.
The man who had raised Dominic and Adrian after their father died.
Dominic stared at the screen.
“No.”
Leo said nothing.
Chloe whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Dominic stepped away.
Vincent had taught him how to drive.
How to negotiate.
How to recognize lies.
If Adrian was correct, Vincent had betrayed them both.
Then Dominic’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
Silence.
Then a familiar voice.
“Hello, brother.”
Dominic’s face changed.
Chloe stood.
“Adrian.”
“Been a long time.”
“Where are you?”
“Not somewhere Vincent can find me.”
“You watched Chloe last night.”
“I was watching the man watching Chloe.”
Dominic’s grip tightened.
“You let her stand alone in that alley?”
“I couldn’t expose myself.”
“You could have protected her.”
“So could you.”
Dominic went silent.
Adrian laughed softly.
“And you did. Faster than I expected.”
“Where is David Bennett?”
Chloe froze.
The line went quiet.
“Adrian?”
Finally:
“Alive.”
Chloe grabbed Dominic’s arm.
“Where?”
Adrian heard her.
“Chloe?”
Her voice broke.
“Where is my brother?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Where is David?”
“He’s safe.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“Let me talk to him.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because Vincent is looking for both of us.”
Dominic spoke.
“Meet me.”
“I will.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
“Where?”
Adrian gave an address.
Then his voice became serious.
“And Dominic?”
“What?”
“Don’t bring Leo.”
Dominic looked across the room.
Leo stared back.
“Why?”
“Because someone told Vincent that Chloe found locker 317.”
Dominic’s eyes narrowed.
“We’ve been together since then.”
“I know.”
“Then how could Vincent know?”
“That,” Adrian said quietly, “is what you need to figure out.”
The call ended.
Dominic lowered the phone.
Nobody moved.
Chloe looked from Dominic to Leo.
Leo’s face had become pale.
Then every light in the penthouse suddenly went out.
The monitors died.
May you like
Security alarms began screaming.
And from somewhere below them came the mechanical sound of the private elevator beginning to rise.
