Chapter 5 - The Dinner Trap
Victor Russo’s dinner took place in a private ballroom overlooking Manhattan.
Crystal chandeliers.
White roses.
Champagne.
Men who smiled without meaning it.
I wore a server’s uniform.
Exactly as planned.
Dominic sat at the central table.
Victor embraced him.
“Nephew.”
“Uncle.”
“You look tired.”
“Busy week.”
Victor smiled.
“I heard about the Onyx Room.”
Dominic lifted his wine.
“Rumors.”
“Someone tried to poison you.”
“People try lots of things.”
Victor laughed.
Across the room, I poured water.
He barely noticed me.
Perfect.
Then Victor said something that made my blood cold.
“The Carter girl disappeared too.”
Dominic’s expression didn’t move.
“Who?”
“Waitress.”
Victor sipped his wine.
“Apparently she caused some trouble.”
“How unfortunate.”
“She’ll turn up.”
I moved toward another table.
Victor continued.
“Her father caused trouble too.”
There it was.
Dominic leaned back.
“What kind?”
“The expensive kind.”
Victor’s smile vanished.
“Some people forget their place.”
Dominic glanced at me once.
That was the signal.
Leo moved toward the doors.
Victor noticed.
His eyes narrowed.
“What is this?”
Dominic placed my father’s letter on the table.
“Your mistake.”
Victor looked at it.
Then at Dominic.
“What exactly do you think you know?”
“Enough.”
Victor laughed.
“From Daniel Carter?”
I stepped forward.
Victor’s face changed when he recognized me.
“You.”
“Hi.”
Dominic gave me a warning look.
I shrugged.
Victor stood.
“You should have disappeared like your father.”
My chest tightened.
“Where is he?”
Victor smiled.
“Still asking the wrong questions.”
Dominic rose.
“No. That was the right question.”
Victor’s confidence faltered.
Dominic placed the flash drive beside the letter.
“Copies are already with people you cannot reach.”
Victor stared at him.
“You would destroy your own family?”
Dominic’s voice became quiet.
“You stopped being family when you betrayed my father.”
Victor looked around.
Nobody moved to help him.
The men he believed were loyal to him had already seen the evidence.
His power disappeared almost instantly.
Victor turned toward me.
“Your father ruined everything.”
I stepped closer.
“No.”
I looked around the room.
“You did.”
Dominic’s people escorted Victor away to be turned over along with the financial evidence to authorities Dominic’s attorneys had contacted.
The ballroom emptied slowly.
I remained beside the table.
Dominic approached.
“It’s over.”
I shook my head.
“My father.”
“We’ll find him.”
“You don’t know if he’s alive.”
“No.”
It was the first time Dominic had refused to give me false hope.
I appreciated him for it.
Then Leo hurried back into the ballroom.
“Dominic.”
Something in his face made me stand.
“What?”
May you like
Leo looked at me.
“We found Daniel Carter.”
