Chapter 3 - The Man at the Gate
Three days later, someone came looking for Elise.
I was in a meeting when Marco entered without knocking.
That alone told me something was wrong.
"There's a man at the south gate."
"Who?"
"Victor Navarro."
I slowly closed the folder in front of me.
"The stepfather."
Marco nodded.
"He says Miss Navarro owes him money."
"How much?"
"He hasn't said."
"Bring him to the courtyard."
Marco hesitated.
"Boss—"
"Now."
Victor Navarro looked exactly like the kind of man I expected.
Late fifties.
Expensive watch he couldn't afford.
Cheap arrogance he could.
Elise appeared the moment she heard his voice.
Her face drained of color.
"What are you doing here?"
Victor smiled.
"There she is."
I watched her hands.
They were trembling.
I didn't like it.
Victor noticed me.
"You Caruso?"
"Mr. Caruso."
He laughed.
"Whatever."
Marco moved forward.
I raised one hand.
Let him talk.
Victor pointed at Elise.
"She owes me."
"I owe you nothing."
"After everything I did for you?"
Elise's jaw tightened.
"You mean after everything I survived because of you?"
His expression changed.
There it was.
The real man beneath the smile.
"You always were ungrateful."
"Leave."
"You think because you're babysitting for some rich gangster you can suddenly forget your family?"
My people shifted.
Calling me a gangster inside my own home was either stupidity or suicide.
Elise stepped between us.
"Please. Just go."
Victor lowered his voice.
"Your brother still has tuition due."
Her face changed.
I noticed.
Victor smiled.
"That's right. Daniel still needs me."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing yet."
I stepped forward.
Victor finally looked uncertain.
"You will never contact Elise or her brothers again."
He laughed nervously.
"And who the hell are you to decide that?"
"Someone you're going to remember."
Elise grabbed my arm.
"Alessandro."
It was the first time she'd used my first name.
"Please."
Victor noticed.
His eyes narrowed.
Then his smile became ugly.
"Oh. I see."
Elise released me.
"It's not like that."
"Of course it isn't."
I nodded toward Marco.
"Remove him."
Victor's smile vanished.
Two guards seized his arms.
"You can't do this!"
"I just did."
He struggled.
"You think you're protecting her?"
I stepped closer.
"I know I am."
Victor looked at Elise.
"This isn't over."
I spoke softly.
"It is if you're intelligent."
They dragged him away.
Elise remained frozen.
Then she turned on me.
"You shouldn't have done that."
"He threatened you."
"You don't understand him."
"Then explain."
"He doesn't forgive humiliation."
"Neither do I."
"That's exactly the problem!"
Her voice echoed through the courtyard.
My guards looked away.
Smart men.
Elise lowered her voice.
"You solve everything with power."
"It's worked so far."
"Did it save Sophia?"
The second the name left her mouth, she regretted it.
My expression went cold.
"Don't."
"I'm sorry."
"No. You wanted to make a point. Make it."
She looked at me for several seconds.
Then she did.
"You can scare Victor. You can scare your employees. You can scare half the city."
She took one step closer.
"But you can't intimidate grief."
I didn't speak.
"And you can't command your daughters to heal."
Her eyes softened.
"Neither can I."
That landed harder than the insult.
Elise walked away.
Marco approached.
"Want me to have Navarro watched?"
"Already done."
He smiled faintly.
"Good."
"And Marco?"
"Yeah?"
"Find out everything."
By midnight, I had the file.
Victor had gambling debts.
Serious ones.
He owed money to men connected to the Vescari organization—one of the few crews stupid enough to challenge mine.
But there was something worse.
Someone had recently paid thirty thousand dollars toward Victor's debt.
An anonymous payment.
In exchange, Victor had made three phone calls to numbers linked to Vescari soldiers.
I stared at the records.
Marco leaned over the desk.
"You think they're using him?"
"I think they sent him here."
"To get Elise?"
"Maybe."
"Why?"
I looked toward the security monitor showing the nursery.
Elise sat between my daughters.
Maisie slept against her chest.
Rosie held her finger.
My stomach tightened.
"Because they've figured out something I hadn't."
Marco followed my gaze.
"What's that?"
May you like
I answered quietly.
"She's become important to this family."
