Chapter 5 - THE MAN WHO RAN
Marcus hit the side door at full speed.
Locked.
He spun.
Raffaele was already there.
Marcus grabbed a heavy crystal decanter from the bar and swung.
Raffaele ducked.
Glass shattered against the wall.
Marcus rushed him.
They crashed into a leather chair.
Marcus was younger.
Fast.
But Raffaele had spent half his childhood fighting men bigger than him.
He blocked Marcus’s fist, drove an elbow into his ribs, then swept his legs.
Marcus hit the marble floor.
Raffaele pinned him.
“Running makes you look guilty.”
Marcus spat blood.
“You think I cut her brakes?”
“I think you just tried to escape.”
“Because you’ve already convicted me.”
Raffaele pulled him up.
“No. If I had convicted you, we wouldn’t be talking.”
Celeste screamed, “Enough!”
Raffaele turned.
She was shaking.
“Celeste?”
She looked at Marcus.
Then her brother.
Then the floor.
“I saw him near her car.”
Marcus went still.
Raffaele’s voice became dangerously quiet.
“When?”
“The night Sofia died.”
Marcus shouted, “You said you didn’t see anything!”
“I lied.”
“To protect yourself.”
“To protect us!”
Marcus lunged toward her.
Dante stepped between them.
Celeste backed away.
“I went to Bellini House because I knew Sofia was meeting Marcus. I wanted to stop her from telling you.”
Raffaele could barely speak.
“And?”
“When I got there, Sofia was leaving.”
“Was she hurt?”
Celeste hesitated.
Raffaele saw the answer before she gave it.
“Yes.”
His hands clenched.
“How?”
“There was blood near her hairline.”
Raffaele looked at Marcus.
Marcus shook his head.
“She slipped.”
Celeste stared at him.
“You shoved her.”
“It was an accident.”
Raffaele’s vision narrowed.
Marcus hurried on.
“She grabbed my phone. I tried to get it back. She fell into the fireplace mantel.”
“And then you let her drive?”
Marcus said nothing.
Celeste whispered, “I told him we had to call an ambulance.”
Marcus snapped, “And Sofia said no.”
Raffaele looked at her.
“Why?”
“She wanted to leave. She said she was going straight to you.”
“And the brakes?”
Celeste broke.
“I don’t know.”
Marcus shouted, “Because I didn’t touch them!”
Dante’s phone buzzed again.
He checked a message.
“Boss.”
Raffaele turned.
“The mechanic kept one thing.”
“What?”
“A section of the brake line.”
Marcus laughed bitterly.
“Great. Test it.”
“We are.”
Raffaele looked at him.
Dante continued.
“There was also something else in the vehicle.”
Raffaele frowned.
“What?”
“A second cell phone.”
Nobody moved.
“It wasn’t Sofia’s.”
Raffaele’s pulse quickened.
“Whose?”
May you like
Dante looked straight at Marcus.
“It was registered to Celeste.”
