Chapter 12 - THE SECOND TRAITOR
I turned slowly.
One of Roman’s two guards had his weapon aimed at Roman’s back.
Ethan Cole.
The younger one.
Quiet.
Polite.
The same guard who had helped carry Titan into the veterinary clinic.
Roman’s expression barely changed.
“Ethan.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“No, you’re not.”
Ethan swallowed.
Vale called from the catwalk.
“Drop the gun, Roman.”
Roman did.
I stared at him.
Vale came downstairs.
Titan stood against my leg.
I whispered, “Wait.”
The dog trembled.
But he obeyed.
Vale looked impressed again.
“You repaired him.”
“No,” I said. “I stopped hurting him.”
Vale’s jaw tightened.
Ethan took my phone.
Vale took Roman’s.
Then they marched us deeper into the warehouse.
We entered a small office overlooking the dock.
A laptop sat open.
Video feed from the gala.
Malcolm Calder stood in front of cameras outside the hotel.
He looked devastated.
A reporter asked, “Do you know whether your nephew survived the attack?”
Malcolm lowered his eyes.
“We are praying.”
Roman laughed.
Cold.
“Bad acting.”
Vale grinned.
“Boston will eat it up.”
Malcolm continued on-screen.
“My nephew has faced threats before. Tonight appears to have been a tragic escalation.”
They were writing the story in real time.
Roman murdered by extremists.
Malcolm takes control of Calder Holdings.
Evidence disappears.
Titan blamed for prior instability.
Nora Hayes becomes either collateral damage or a dead conspiracy theorist.
Simple.
Clean.
Almost.
Vale opened a desk drawer.
Inside were printed bank records.
“Black Harbor,” Roman said.
Vale nodded.
“Malcolm’s private network. Judges. inspectors. customs officers. port managers.”
“For how long?”
“Thirty years.”
Roman looked sick.
His entire empire had been built over something rotten.
“Why Owen?”
“He found the payments.”
“And hid the files on Titan.”
Vale chuckled.
“Owen knew we would search him. Nobody searched the dog.”
Smart.
Desperate.
Deadly.
I looked at Ethan.
“You can still walk away.”
He avoided my eyes.
Vale laughed.
“Don’t waste your breath.”
Then Titan moved.
Not toward Vale.
Toward the office door.
His ears lifted.
Footsteps outside.
Vale turned.
“What—”
The door burst open.
A bloodied man fell inside.
Luca.
I shouted his name.
Vale fired.
Luca dropped behind a metal cabinet.
Titan exploded forward.
Ethan raised his weapon.
Roman slammed his shoulder into him.
The room erupted.
I grabbed Vale’s wrist.
The gun fired.
Glass shattered.
Titan knocked Ethan down.
Roman took his weapon.
Vale hit me hard enough to send me against the desk.
Roman saw it.
Whatever restraint he had left disappeared.
He punched Vale once.
Twice.
Then wrapped one hand around his throat.
“Roman!”
He didn’t hear me.
“Roman!”
Titan barked.
Roman froze.
I crawled toward him.
“Don’t become them.”
His fist remained raised.
Vale smiled through blood.
“Do it.”
Roman looked at him.
Then slowly lowered his hand.
Police sirens screamed outside.
Vale’s smile vanished.
Luca sat up, clutching his shoulder.
“I sent everything.”
Roman looked at him.
“To who?”
May you like
Luca grinned painfully.
“Everyone.”
