Chương 14 - The Offer
Dante reached for his keys.
Alina stepped in front of him.
“Call the police.”
“They won’t get there fast enough.”
“And you will?
You don’t even know where that road is.”
His breathing turned rough.
She held her ground.
“They want you running into something.
Don’t give them that.”
Evelyn made the call while Alina examined the photograph.
A gas station sign reflected in the car window.
Two visible letters.
A green price board.
She enlarged it and searched the route Nico had planned.
Three stations matched.
Only one sat beside a wooded service road.
They sent the location to the dispatcher.
Then Carlo called.
Dante put him on speaker.
“You have a problem,” Carlo said.
Alina answered.
“So do you.”
A pause.
“The waitress.”
“The aunt.”
He laughed.
“Names are easy to claim.”
“So are signatures.”
“You have no idea what you’re getting into.”
“I know you filed a custody petition before Dante met me.
I know you moved my sister through three homes.
I know where the payments went.”
Carlo stopped laughing.
“Bring me the originals.
You get Nico back.
You keep your little apartment.
You can even visit the baby.”
Dante’s hand tightened around the edge of the table.
Alina looked at him and shook her head once.
“No.”
“You should ask your employer how much trouble one false accusation can cause.”
“He kept the security footage.
You forgot the restaurant has three cameras.”
It was the first time Carlo had nothing ready.
Then he said, “Sofia was just as stubborn.”
Alina felt the room go cold.
“What did you do to her?”
“You’re asking the wrong question.”
The line disconnected.
Evelyn had recorded the call with the equipment she had prepared after the threats.
She sent it to the investigator handling their complaint.
A message arrived fifteen minutes later.
Nico had been found.
Alive.
Injured.
The documents were missing.
Dante bowed his head.
Alina stood.
“Copies are with Evelyn.”
“He took the originals,” Dante said.
May you like
She picked up her mother’s tin.
“Not all of them.”
