Chapter 10 - THE PRICE OF A ROMANO
Nico survived.
Victor almost wished he hadn’t.
They found him behind the altar with a bullet through his side.
Victor stood over him.
“Who took Emma?”
Nico laughed weakly.
“You still don’t understand.”
Victor crouched.
“Explain it.”
“Carlo wants the ledger, sure.”
Nico coughed.
“But someone else wants you.”
Victor’s eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
Nico looked at Tessa.
Then smiled.
“Ask her brother.”
Tessa’s stomach dropped.
“Liam?”
Nico closed his eyes.
Victor grabbed his collar.
“What did Liam do?”
“He found more than a key.”
“What?”
Nico whispered two words.
“A recording.”
Tessa sat beside Liam’s abandoned bed later that night.
She wanted to break something.
Maybe him.
Especially him.
Victor entered quietly.
“You should sleep.”
She laughed.
“Because that worked out so well last time?”
Victor leaned against the doorway.
For the first time since she had met him, he looked tired.
Not wounded.
Not angry.
Tired.
“I didn’t know what my father did to your mother.”
“I know.”
“But you blame me.”
“I don’t know what I feel.”
“That’s honest.”
She looked at him.
“Was he like you?”
The question hit harder than an insult.
“My father?”
“Yes.”
Victor took a long moment.
“Worse.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“He believed fear solved everything.”
“And you?”
Victor’s mouth tightened.
“I believed him for a long time.”
Tessa looked away.
“My mother died because men like your father thought people like her were disposable.”
“Yes.”
Victor didn’t defend the Romano name.
That mattered.
Tessa whispered, “I hate that being around you makes me feel safe.”
Victor said nothing.
“I shouldn’t.”
“No.”
“I should be terrified of you.”
“Probably.”
She looked up.
“And yet you’re the one person who hasn’t lied to me.”
Victor almost laughed.
“That might be the worst compliment I’ve ever received.”
Tessa smiled despite herself.
Then Victor’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
Liam’s voice came through.
“Victor?”
Tessa stood.
“Liam?”
“Don’t talk. Just listen.”
He sounded terrified.
“I found Mom’s old recorder months ago. It was inside the storage unit wall.”
Tessa gripped the phone.
“What’s on it?”
“Her voice.”
A pause.
“And Victor’s father.”
Victor’s face hardened.
Liam continued.
“She recorded a meeting the night before she died.”
“What meeting?”
“One where Romano talked about a list.”
“What list?”
“People he paid. People he killed. People he owned.”
Tessa closed her eyes.
“Where are you?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Liam—”
“Carlo thinks the recording tells him where the ledger is.”
“Does it?”
“Yes.”
Victor stepped closer.
“Where?”
Liam went silent.
Then:
“Tessa knows.”
She stared at the phone.
“I what?”
“Mom says it in the recording. She hid it somewhere only you would understand.”
A door crashed open on Liam’s end.
He gasped.
Someone shouted.
Then a gunshot.
“LIAM!”
Static.
Tessa screamed his name.
A different man picked up the phone.
Carlo.
“Bring Victor Romano to Pier Nineteen at midnight.”
Victor’s eyes became cold.
Carlo laughed softly.
“And Tessa?”
“Yes?”
“Bring yourself too.”
The line went dead.
Victor immediately said, “No.”
Tessa looked at him.
“You already know what I’m going to say.”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“No.”
She walked toward the door.
Victor caught her arm.
“Tessa.”
She turned.
Her eyes were wet, but her voice didn’t shake.
“My brother may be an idiot, a liar, and the reason half my life fell apart.”
She pulled free.
“But he’s still my brother.”
Victor stared at her.
“And if I have to walk into hell to drag him out…”
May you like
She picked up his spare pistol from the desk.
“…you can either come with me or get out of my way.”
