Chapter 5 - NOLAN'S REAL FACE
"He's not my boyfriend."
Nolan laughed.
"Still correcting details when a gun is pointed at you. That's what I always hated about you."
I edged toward the desk.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because you were useful."
The words hurt more than I expected.
"Two years."
"Two years of listening to you complain about office access, passwords, backup locations."
My stomach turned.
"You dated me for my job?"
"At first."
I swallowed.
"And later?"
Nolan smiled.
"You became convenient."
Rage replaced fear.
"You hit me because I wasn't convenient enough?"
His smile vanished.
"Watch your mouth."
There he was.
The real Nolan.
Always one sentence away.
One look away.
One mistake away.
He stepped closer.
"You embarrassed me in front of Dante Moretti."
"You embarrassed yourself."
The gun lifted.
I forced myself not to move.
Then I saw Dante appear silently behind the glass door.
Nolan couldn't see him.
Dante held one finger to his lips.
Keep him talking.
"What is that page?" I asked.
Nolan glanced at it.
"Insurance."
"Against Dante?"
"Against everyone."
"What does it prove?"
"That old men lie."
He shoved the page into his jacket.
"You're coming with me."
"No."
His expression twisted.
"What did you say?"
"I said no."
He grabbed my wrist.
Pain shot through my arm.
But this time I didn't freeze.
I drove my heel down on his foot.
Hard.
Nolan cursed.
The study door exploded inward.
Dante hit him like a truck.
The gun discharged.
A lamp shattered.
I dropped to the floor.
Dante punched Nolan once.
Twice.
Three times.
Nolan pulled a knife.
"Dante!"
Dante caught his wrist and slammed it against the desk.
The knife dropped.
Enzo rushed in with guards.
"Alive!" Dante shouted.
Nolan laughed through blood.
"You need me alive."
Dante pressed him against the wall.
"Why?"
"Because you still don't know who killed Matteo."
Dante froze.
Nolan smiled.
There was blood in his teeth.
"That's right."
Dante's voice changed.
"What do you know about my brother?"
"Enough to know the official story was garbage."
Matteo Moretti had supposedly died in a car bombing during a gang war.
Nolan leaned closer.
"Your brother wasn't killed by Bellini."
Enzo raised his gun.
"Shut up."
Nolan's eyes moved toward him.
Interesting.
I saw it.
So did Dante.
Nolan smiled wider.
"You still trust Enzo?"
Enzo's face hardened.
"He's trying to divide us."
"Am I?"
Nolan looked at Dante.
"Ask your loyal consigliere where he was the night Matteo died."
Dante turned slowly.
Enzo didn't move.
"I was with you."
"For part of the night," Nolan said.
Silence.
Dante's eyes narrowed.
"Enzo?"
"I went home."
Nolan laughed.
"Wrong answer."
Dante slammed Nolan against the wall again.
"Talk."
"You want truth?"
Nolan coughed.
"Then ask your sister."
Everything stopped.
"Rosa?"
Nolan nodded.
"She knows why Matteo died."
Dante's face drained of color.
From the hallway came a woman's voice.
"He's lying."
Rosa stood in the doorway.
Nolan looked at her.
And smiled.
"Hello, Rosa."
She went pale.
Not confused.
Not surprised.
Terrified.
Dante looked from his sister to Nolan.
Then at the gun suddenly shaking in Rosa's hand.
"Rosa?"
Tears filled her eyes.
May you like
"I'm sorry."
And she pointed the gun directly at Nolan.
