Chapter 10 - The Mafia Boss Who Brought a City to Its Knees
Dante had never been a patient man.
But that night, patience became the only thing preventing him from making a terrible mistake.
His security team identified the garage where Rosa had last been seen.
Police reviewed surveillance recordings.
Daniel provided a detailed statement about the threats against his granddaughter.
Evelyn Price obtained copies of messages sent to his family.
Every available piece of information pointed toward a coordinated operation.
Dante wanted answers immediately.
What he refused to do was put Rosa in additional danger by rushing blindly into an unknown location.
"Find her," he told Marco.
"Working on it."
"Every security contact we have. Every commercial property associated with East Harbor. Every vehicle registered to the companies Meredith controls."
Marco nodded.
Dante turned toward the window.
Chicago glittered beneath the darkness.
He had spent his adult life believing power meant never allowing anyone to see weakness.
Yet one missing woman had exposed how useless his influence could feel when he could not reach the person who mattered most.
His telephone rang.
Carlo Moretti.
Dante answered.
"Where is she?"
His uncle sounded almost amused.
"Good evening to you too."
"Where is Rosa?"
"I assume you're referring to the young woman from the restaurant."
"Don't."
A pause.
Then Carlo sighed.
"Dante, I tried to protect you from her seven years ago. I see now that I should have been more thorough."
Dante's blood went cold.
"So you admit it."
"Admit what?"
"The letter. The lies. Everything."
Carlo said nothing.
Dante continued.
"Rosa's father found something at East Harbor. You knew. Meredith knew. And somehow, Lucia disappeared while investigating related financial records."
Carlo's tone changed.
"Leave your sister out of this."
"She's already in it."
"You have no idea what happened to Lucia."
"Then tell me."
Silence.
Dante closed his eyes.
"Uncle, where is Rosa?"
Carlo exhaled.
"Your affection for that girl has always clouded your judgment."
"Her name is Rosa."
"I know her name."
"Then say it."
Another silence.
Dante spoke more quietly.
"You raised me after my father died. I trusted you with my companies. My family. My life."
"And I protected everything your father left behind."
"Did you protect Lucia?"
Carlo ended the call.
Dante slowly lowered the phone.
Marco had entered during the conversation.
"We have a possible location."
Dante turned.
"Tell me."
"A waterfront residence connected to Sloan Asset Management. It used to be part of an industrial redevelopment complex."
"Security?"
"Private contractors. Limited public access."
Dante reached for his coat.
Marco stepped forward.
"We should coordinate with the detective first."
Dante stared at him.
Marco held his gaze.
"Boss, you want Rosa home. We all do. But if we turn this into a confrontation, Meredith gets exactly what she wants."
Dante stopped.
Then he nodded.
"Call the detective."
At the waterfront property, Rosa spent an hour studying her surroundings.
The bedroom had a locked interior door.
A window overlooking a service courtyard.
A bathroom with a narrow ventilation opening.
And a television connected to ordinary broadcast channels.
The last detail interested her.
She turned it on.
The evening news was discussing the Grand Aurelia incident.
Her photograph appeared beside Victor's.
Then Dante's.
The presenter reported that the police were reviewing the assault complaint and that Hargrove Development had issued a statement condemning misconduct without addressing Victor directly.
Rosa watched in disbelief.
She had become the center of a story she could no longer control.
Then the broadcast showed a brief interview with Natalie Brooks.
"I don't know Miss Bellamy personally," Natalie said. "But nobody deserved what happened to her. I posted the recording because everyone in that room was pretending they hadn't seen anything."
Rosa sat on the edge of the bed.
For the first time that night, she cried.
Not because she was afraid.
Because somewhere outside that locked room, a complete stranger had refused to look away.
A sound came from the hallway.
Rosa turned off the television.
Footsteps approached.
The door opened.
A young woman entered carrying a tray.
She wore a simple black dress and had dark hair loosely tied behind her head.
Her face was partially turned away.
"Dinner," the woman said.
Rosa stood.
"I'm not hungry."
"You should eat."
Something about her voice sounded strange.
Familiar, though Rosa could not explain why.
The woman set the tray down.
As she turned, Rosa noticed a small silver bracelet around her wrist.
An engraved letter L.
The woman glanced toward the hallway.
Then whispered:
"Your father's notebook isn't the only evidence."
Rosa froze.
"What?"
"Don't react."
The woman began arranging the plates as though nothing unusual were happening.
"There's a copy of the original East Harbor financial ledger hidden in the basement archive."
"Who are you?"
The woman finally looked at her.
Her dark eyes were unmistakable.
Rosa had seen them before.
In Dante's family photographs.
In Elena Moretti's smile.
In the photograph of the missing woman wearing a red winter coat.
Rosa's lips parted.
"Lucia?"
The woman closed her eyes.
"Please," she whispered. "Not so loudly."
Rosa stared.
Eleven years.
Dante had searched for his sister for eleven years.
And now she stood in front of Rosa carrying a dinner tray.
Lucia reached beneath the tray and slipped a folded piece of paper into Rosa's hand.
"Memorize this. Destroy it afterward."
Rosa unfolded it beneath the table.
A series of storage-room numbers.
A code.
And one sentence.
My brother must never come here alone.
Rosa looked up.
"Why?"
Lucia's expression broke.
"Because Carlo doesn't want the notebook anymore."
"What does he want?"
May you like
Lucia swallowed.
"He's going to use you to make Dante sign away the entire Moretti empire."
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