Chapter 10 - THE PRICE OF THE TRUTH
Bianca survived.
The bullet passed cleanly through her shoulder.
Preston survived too.
Mercer was arrested on weapons charges, but Dante knew that wouldn’t hold him long.
Men like Mercer had lawyers waiting before the handcuffs clicked.
Mara sat beside Bianca’s bed the next morning.
Bianca looked at her.
“You don’t have to be here.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you?”
Mara shrugged.
“You got shot trying to stop a man from killing me.”
“Don’t make it sentimental.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Bianca almost smiled.
Then her face grew serious.
“My father will come for that drive.”
“He doesn’t know I have it.”
“He will.”
Mara stared through the window.
“Then I need to turn it over.”
“To the police?”
“No.”
Bianca laughed.
“What?”
“Half the police commissioner’s retirement fund came from my father.”
“Federal investigators?”
“Better.”
“Who?”
“A reporter.”
Mara looked at her.
Bianca continued.
“Rachel Sloan. She’s been investigating him for years.”
“You trust her?”
“No.”
“Helpful.”
“I trust that she wants the biggest story of her career more than she wants to protect him.”
Mara stood.
“Give me her number.”
Dante hated the plan.
“No.”
Mara folded her arms.
“You don’t get a vote.”
“I get several.”
“You get zero.”
Rachel Sloan agreed to meet at a diner in Brooklyn.
Public.
Busy.
Safe, in theory.
Dante sat three booths away pretending to read a newspaper.
Mara caught him watching every ten seconds.
“You’re terrible at pretending to be normal.”
He lowered the paper.
“I’ve been told.”
Rachel arrived wearing jeans and a raincoat.
No makeup.
No entourage.
She sat across from Mara.
“You’re Eleanor Whitfield’s daughter.”
“Yes.”
Rachel stared.
“You look like her.”
“You knew my mother?”
“I interviewed her once.”
Mara froze.
“When?”
“Twenty years ago.”
“Why didn’t you publish anything?”
Rachel looked ashamed.
“I was twenty-four. New reporter. Thorne threatened the paper. My editor killed the story.”
Mara’s voice hardened.
“And my mother paid the price.”
“Yes.”
Rachel didn’t defend herself.
“I’ve regretted it every day.”
Mara placed the flash drive on the table.
“Then don’t make the same mistake twice.”
Rachel reached for it.
Before her fingers touched it, every phone in the diner buzzed.
Emergency alert.
Then the televisions above the counter switched to live news.
Senator William Thorne stood behind a podium.
Mara stared.
His expression was grave.
“My family is under attack by organized crime.”
Dante lowered his newspaper.
The senator continued.
“A criminal figure named Dante Vale has kidnapped and manipulated a vulnerable young woman formerly employed by my daughter.”
Mara’s mouth fell open.
Dante muttered, “Predictable.”
Thorne looked directly into the cameras.
“This woman, Mara Whitfield, is in immediate danger.”
Mara stood.
“He’s making me the victim.”
Rachel’s phone began ringing.
Then Dante’s.
Then Gabriel rushed inside.
“Boss, we need to move.”
Dante stood.
“What happened?”
“Federal agents just raided three of our properties.”
Rachel stared at Dante.
Mara looked at the television.
Senator Thorne smiled sadly for the cameras.
And then he said:
“I will do everything in my power to bring my daughter home.”
The diner went silent.
May you like
Mara whispered:
“He just admitted it.”
