Chapter 9 - THE MEN I TRUSTED
Saul Brennan had been taking Vandermark money for eleven years.
Eleven.
He had attended my father’s funeral.
He had written Ewan’s estate documents.
He had handled my mother’s medical trust.
He had sat in my kitchen drinking coffee while Delia worked thirty feet away.
And all that time, Leonard Vandermark had been paying him.
I wanted Saul brought to me.
Vincent advised against it.
“That is exactly what Leonard expects.”
“Good.”
“No.”
Vincent stepped in front of me.
“For once, don’t react like Antonio.”
The name landed badly.
“What did you say?”
“Your father’s first answer to every betrayal was force.”
“And yours is what?”
“Think.”
I hated that he was right.
So I thought.
Celeste had escaped with Saul.
Leonard would assume I had opened the inner safe.
He would assume I had the ledgers.
Which meant he would do one of two things.
Run.
Or destroy everyone who could authenticate them.
Delia.
Ewan.
My mother.
Vincent.
Possibly me.
I called Jonas.
“Move Ewan.”
“Already happening.”
“Not to one of ours.”
He understood.
“No Moretti property.”
“No known doctors.”
“Where?”
I looked at Delia.
She answered before I could.
“My sister has a house near Madison.”
“No.”
“They don’t know about her.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Ewan did.”
That stopped me.
“Ewan helped her change her name before the fire.”
Delia was already reaching for her coat.
“I’m going with him.”
“You’re injured.”
“I waited six years.”
I did not argue.
Two hours later she left with Ewan in an unmarked medical van.
Before he went, my brother asked for the letter board.
He tapped one word.
W.
E.
D.
D.
I frowned.
“The wedding?”
He nodded.
“You want me to cancel it?”
He shook his head.
Then he tapped.
F.
I.
N.
I.
S.
H.
I understood.
Celeste and Leonard expected fear now.
They expected me to tear everything apart.
Instead I would give them what they had spent years preparing for.
A wedding.
I called every guest personally.
The ceremony would proceed Friday night.
Same church.
Same reception.
Same security.
When I told Vincent, he stared at me.
“You’re going to marry her?”
“No.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“Letting Leonard believe he still has something to win.”
By afternoon Chicago society knew the wedding was still happening.
By evening Celeste called.
Her voice sounded almost amused.
“I underestimated you.”
“You usually do.”
“You still want the wedding?”
“I want you there.”
“And the agreement?”
“Bring it.”
She was quiet.
Then she said, “You have something of my father’s.”
“No.”
“I know about the ledgers.”
“They belonged to mine.”
“They can ruin very important people.”
“I noticed.”
“Then maybe we should stop pretending this is personal.”
I looked through the window at the snow.
“You put your hands on Delia.”
Silence.
“You threatened my mother.”
Another silence.
“And you expected to marry me three weeks later.”
Celeste laughed softly.
“You’ve done worse things than I have, Matteo.”
She wasn’t wrong.
That was what made my answer easy.
“Yes.”
I closed the ledger.
“But I never called them love.”
Then I hung up.
Across the room, my mother watched me.
Her finger moved against the blanket.
Three taps.
Pause.
One tap.
The code meant only one thing.
Careful.
I took her hand.
“I know.”
But I didn’t.
Because while we were speaking, someone had already entered Delia’s sister’s house in Wisconsin.
May you like
And Ewan was no longer there.
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