Chapter 2 - The Secret Roman Never Told Her
Twenty minutes later, Nora sat inside a private security room beneath South Station.
Noah sat beside her eating crackers from a vending machine.
Roman stood near the door.
Captain Red was tucked into his coat pocket.
Nora noticed.
“You still have his airplane.”
Roman looked down.
“He gave it to me.”
Noah nodded seriously.
“It protects people.”
Roman almost smiled.
Nora didn’t.
“Talk.”
Roman leaned against the wall.
“Three years ago, you found a ledger in my office.”
“I remember.”
“You thought it contained family accounts.”
“It contained bribes.”
“Some.”
“Judges. Police. Politicians.”
Roman nodded.
“And names.”
“Enough to put you in prison.”
“Yes.”
“You threatened me that night.”
“I threatened everyone that night.”
Nora stood.
“You smashed a glass beside my head.”
Roman’s eyes lowered.
“I remember.”
“You told me if I ever betrayed you, I’d regret it.”
“I remember that too.”
“So don’t rewrite history.”
“I’m not.”
Roman pushed away from the wall.
“I’m explaining what you didn’t know.”
Noah looked between them.
“Mom?”
Nora softened.
“Keep eating, baby.”
Roman waited until Noah looked down again.
Then he continued.
“The ledger you saw was a copy.”
“What?”
“The original disappeared two days before you found it.”
Nora frowned.
“I didn’t take it.”
“I know.”
“You accused me.”
“I needed other people to believe I suspected you.”
She stared at him.
“What are you talking about?”
Roman’s voice lowered.
“My uncle Vittorio believed you had the original.”
Nora went still.
“Your uncle?”
“He wanted me to hand you over.”
“And you refused?”
“I told him I would handle you myself.”
Nora stared.
Roman continued.
“The night you disappeared, I let everyone believe you had betrayed me.”
“You let me run.”
“Yes.”
“You could have stopped me.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Roman glanced at Noah.
“Because I knew someone inside the family was feeding Vittorio information.”
Nora’s heart started beating faster.
“I didn’t know who.”
“So you let me run blind?”
“I gave you a head start.”
“You terrified me.”
“I know.”
“That isn’t protection.”
“No.”
Roman’s expression tightened.
“It was the best solution I had at the time.”
Nora shook her head.
“That’s what you always say.”
“What?”
“That everything terrible you do is necessary.”
Roman looked at her for a long moment.
Then said, “That’s why you left.”
“Yes.”
“And why you hid him.”
Nora looked at Noah.
“Yes.”
Roman absorbed that.
No anger this time.
Just pain.
Marco entered.
Roman immediately turned.
“Who was the man?”
“Name is Trevor Mills. Former private security.”
“Employer?”
“Shell company.”
“Connected to Vittorio?”
Marco hesitated.
“No.”
Roman’s eyes narrowed.
Nora noticed.
“What?”
Marco placed a folder on the table.
“The company traces back to DeLuca Holdings.”
Roman’s expression hardened.
“That’s impossible.”
“It gets worse.”
He slid a photograph across the table.
Nora recognized the man instantly.
Her stomach dropped.
“No.”
Roman looked at her.
“You know him?”
“That was my landlord in Hartford.”
Marco nodded.
“He owned the building through a third party.”
Nora stared at the photo.
“He helped me.”
Roman said nothing.
“He lowered my rent when Noah got sick.”
Marco looked at Roman.
“Apparently somebody wanted her comfortable.”
Nora turned toward Roman.
“You said you were protecting us.”
“I was.”
“Then who was he protecting me for?”
Roman’s eyes went cold.
“That’s what I intend to find out.”
Noah suddenly spoke.
“Are we going home?”
Nora knelt beside him.
“We’re going somewhere safe.”
“Where?”
Roman answered.
“My house.”
Nora snapped her head up.
“No.”
“It’s secured.”
“No.”
“Nora.”
“I spent three years getting away from your house.”
“You’re not going back to the same house.”
“That isn’t the point.”
Roman lowered his voice.
“Noah is a target now.”
“You don’t know that.”
Roman looked directly at her.
“The man at the station had a photograph of you and Noah in his pocket.”
Nora went silent.
Noah continued eating crackers.
Oblivious.
Roman stepped closer.
“You can hate me tomorrow.”
“I already do.”
“Good.”
His voice remained calm.
“Hate me somewhere with reinforced windows.”
Nora wanted to argue.
Then she looked at Noah.
The decision became simple.
“One night.”
Roman nodded.
“One night.”
“You don’t make decisions about Noah.”
“I understand.”
“You don’t take him anywhere without me.”
“Agreed.”
“You don’t tell him anything about being his father unless I’m there.”
Roman paused.
Then nodded.
“Agreed.”
Noah raised his hand.
“I have a question.”
Roman looked at him.
“What?”
“Are you my dad?”
Nora closed her eyes.
Roman stared at the boy.
Noah waited.
Roman looked at Nora.
She gave the smallest nod.
Roman crouched.
“Yes.”
Noah considered him.
“Why weren’t you at my birthdays?”
Roman’s face changed.
“I didn’t know about them.”
“You didn’t know my birthday?”
“I didn’t know you existed.”
Noah looked at Nora.
“You didn’t tell him?”
Nora swallowed.
“No.”
“Why?”
Roman answered before she could.
“Because your mom was trying to keep you safe.”
Noah looked back at him.
“From you?”
Roman’s jaw tightened.
“Yes.”
The boy frowned.
“Were you bad?”
Roman didn’t look away.
“Sometimes.”
Noah thought.
“Are you still bad?”
Roman almost smiled.
“I’m trying not to be.”
“That’s what my teacher says.”
“What?”
“You have to make better choices.”
Roman looked at Nora.
She folded her arms.
May you like
“He has a point.”
For the first time that day, Roman laughed.
