Chapter 5 - The Man Vincent Trusted for Fifteen Years
Marco refused to name the others.
Vincent spent the next six hours reviewing every file on the memory card.
Three captains appeared repeatedly.
David Kessler.
Peter Russo.
And Anthony Bell.
All men Vincent had trusted.
All men who had become more powerful after the crash.
Elena stood near the window.
“What happens now?”
Vincent didn’t look up.
“You take Noah and leave.”
Her face changed.
“What?”
“I’ll put security around you.”
“No.”
Vincent looked at her.
“This isn’t a discussion.”
“It is if you’re ordering me out because you’re scared.”
Vincent stared at her.
She continued.
“You’ve been doing that for three years.”
“That is not the same thing.”
“You hid in this mansion because somebody hurt you.”
Vincent’s jaw tightened.
“And now you want to hide us because Marco scared you.”
“He could have hurt your son.”
Elena’s voice softened.
“He didn’t.”
“He tried to destroy your life.”
“And you stopped him.”
Vincent looked away.
Elena walked closer.
“You don’t get to decide that caring about people is dangerous and then push everyone away.”
Vincent gave a humorless laugh.
“You sound like Noah.”
“He’s smarter than both of us.”
That night, Vincent called his captains to the estate.
Kessler arrived first.
Russo second.
Bell never came.
Vincent sat at the head of the dining table.
Marco’s empty chair remained visible.
Kessler looked around.
“Where’s Marco?”
Vincent answered.
“Busy.”
Russo’s eyes shifted.
“With what?”
“Explaining why he sabotaged my vehicle.”
Silence.
Kessler laughed nervously.
“What?”
Vincent watched both men carefully.
Russo went pale.
Too pale.
Vincent noticed.
“You knew.”
Russo stood.
“No.”
“Sit down.”
“I’m leaving.”
The doors locked.
Russo looked around.
Vincent placed a speaker on the table.
Then played the recording.
Marco’s voice filled the room.
The mechanic gets paid after the crash.
Russo slowly sat.
Kessler stared at him.
“You knew?”
Russo looked at Vincent.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.”
Vincent’s expression became empty.
“Tell me.”
Russo swallowed.
“Marco wanted temporary control.”
“Temporary?”
“He said you were becoming reckless.”
Vincent laughed quietly.
“So you crippled me.”
“No. He said the crash would scare you.”
“My driver died.”
Russo looked down.
Kessler pushed back from the table.
“I wasn’t part of this.”
Vincent looked at him.
“Then help me prove it.”
Kessler nodded immediately.
A phone rang.
The security chief answered.
His expression changed.
“What?”
He looked toward Vincent.
“Marco is gone.”
Vincent stared at him.
“What do you mean, gone?”
“One guard is unconscious. The service door is open.”
Elena appeared in the doorway.
“Noah?”
Vincent turned.
“What?”
“He’s not in the playroom.”
The world changed in one second.
Vincent moved toward Elena.
“When did you see him last?”
“Ten minutes ago.”
His voice sharpened.
“Lock everything!”
Guards ran.
Elena’s breathing became fast.
“Noah!”
Vincent grabbed her wrist.
“Stay with me.”
“He took my son.”
“We don’t know that.”
“Yes, we do.”
Then Vincent’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
Vincent answered.
Marco’s voice came through.
“You should have listened when I warned you about caring.”
Vincent went completely still.
“If you touch him—”
“Relax.”
A child’s voice sounded faintly in the background.
“Mom?”
Elena grabbed Vincent’s arm.
“Noah!”
Vincent’s face became ice.
Marco laughed softly.
May you like
“Now we negotiate.”
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