Chapter 3 - The Man Dante Trusted
By morning, the penthouse had become a quiet prison.
Nobody entered.
Nobody left.
Dante gathered six senior men around the dining table.
Marco stood closest to him.
Amelia remained beside the wall with a tablet.
Marco noticed.
“This is family business.”
Dante answered.
“She stays.”
Marco looked at Amelia.
“Since when?”
“Since I said so.”
Silence.
Dante placed Lily’s photograph on the table.
“Someone entered my private floor last night.”
Marco picked it up.
“Who’s the kid?”
Amelia watched his face.
Too casual.
Dante answered.
“Amelia’s daughter.”
Marco looked concerned.
“That’s bad.”
Amelia spoke.
“You already knew what she looked like.”
Marco turned.
“What?”
“You asked which school entrance she uses.”
The room changed.
Marco laughed.
“I was making conversation.”
“With a six-year-old?”
“She mentioned school.”
“No,” Lily said from the doorway.
Every man turned.
Amelia’s heart stopped.
“Lily, sweetheart, go back upstairs.”
But Lily was staring at Marco.
“You asked me.”
Marco smiled.
“Of course I did.”
“You said my mom was making Mr. Dante weak.”
Nobody moved.
Dante looked at Marco.
“What?”
Marco’s smile disappeared.
Lily continued.
“And you said maybe Mom should go away.”
Amelia crossed the room.
“That’s enough. Come with me.”
Marco stepped forward.
“She’s confused.”
Dante raised one hand.
Marco stopped.
“Don’t move.”
“Dante—”
“Not another step.”
Amelia led Lily toward the hall.
Then Lily turned.
“And he gave me this.”
She reached into her backpack.
A silver key card.
Marco went pale.
Amelia recognized it immediately.
Dante did too.
Vincent took it.
“Executive security access.”
Marco shook his head.
“This is ridiculous.”
Dante’s voice was quiet.
“How did she get your card?”
“It isn’t mine.”
“The access code is registered to you,” Vincent said.
Marco looked at him.
“You checked that quickly?”
“I checked every executive card after the shooting.”
Marco’s jaw tightened.
Dante turned to Amelia.
“Take Lily upstairs.”
“No.”
“Amelia.”
“If this concerns my daughter, I stay.”
Dante studied her.
Then nodded.
Marco exhaled.
“You’re letting an assistant interrogate me?”
“No,” Dante said.
“I am.”
Marco stared at the man he had served for fourteen years.
Then something hardened in him.
“You really don’t see what she’s doing?”
Amelia frowned.
Marco pointed at her.
“Two weeks, Dante. She’s been here two weeks. Suddenly you question your own people?”
“You asked about Lily’s school.”
“Because I was protecting her.”
“You left your security card with her?”
“I didn’t.”
Vincent placed a tablet on the table.
“We pulled the building access records.”
Marco’s eyes flickered.
Vincent continued.
“Your card disabled the west office cameras at 10:14 Tuesday morning.”
Three minutes before the sniper fired.
Marco’s face emptied.
Dante looked at him.
“Tell me there’s an explanation.”
Marco said nothing.
Dante’s voice dropped.
“Tell me.”
Marco slowly sat.
“You weren’t supposed to survive that window.”
Amelia felt Lily’s hand tighten around hers.
Dante did not react.
Marco looked at him.
“After your accident, everyone started waiting.”
“For what?”
“For you to admit you were finished.”
Dante’s fingers tightened against his wheelchair.
Marco continued.
“You wouldn’t.”
“So you hired someone to convince me?”
“I hired someone to end it.”
Dante stared at him.
“And Lily?”
Marco looked toward Amelia.
“Insurance.”
Dante’s expression changed.
Not anger.
Something colder.
Amelia immediately moved Lily behind her.
Marco smiled bitterly.
“You care about them. That makes them useful.”
Dante leaned forward.
“You made one mistake.”
“Which one?”
“You thought caring about someone made me weaker.”
Dante looked at Vincent.
“Remove him.”
Marco stood.
“You think this ends with me?”
Dante’s eyes narrowed.
Marco smiled.
“The sniper wasn’t my only plan.”
May you like
Then somewhere downstairs, an alarm began screaming.
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