Chapter 5 - GILBERT’S LAST SHIFT
“Gilbert?”
Evelyn couldn’t understand what she was seeing.
Her manager’s hands shook around the shotgun.
“Move away from him, Evie.”
Lorenzo kept his weapon low.
“You don’t want to do this.”
“Shut up.”
“Gilbert,” Evelyn said. “Why are you here?”
His eyes filled with panic.
“Because I put you at Table Four.”
Silence.
Evelyn felt something break inside her.
“You what?”
“I had no choice.”
“You assigned me.”
“They told me to.”
“Who?”
“Celeste.”
Lorenzo’s voice sharpened.
“Why Evelyn?”
Gilbert swallowed.
“They knew who her father was.”
Evelyn stepped forward.
“You knew too?”
“Not at first.”
“How long?”
“Three months.”
She looked sick.
“Three months?”
“They threatened Maya. They had pictures of my daughter.”
“So you handed me to them?”
“I thought they only wanted you serving the table.”
“Why?”
“Because Celeste wanted you to see the message.”
Lorenzo’s eyes narrowed.
“The phone notification.”
Gilbert nodded.
“It was staged.”
Evelyn went cold.
“She wanted me to warn Lorenzo?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Gilbert looked at the floor.
“The restaurant hit was supposed to push him toward one of his safe houses.”
“The warehouse,” Lorenzo said.
Gilbert nodded again.
“So the dinner was theater,” Evelyn whispered.
“Mostly.”
“You let me walk into that?”
“I didn’t know they were going to shoot up the whole damn room.”
“You knew enough!”
“I’m sorry.”
“No. Don’t.”
Evelyn’s eyes burned.
“Do not stand in my apartment and tell me you’re sorry.”
Gilbert lowered the shotgun.
“I tried to get you into the kitchen.”
“After you put me there!”
“I know.”
Lorenzo stepped closer.
“Where is Celeste?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who does?”
“Salvatore.”
Lorenzo’s expression hardened.
“My uncle is involved?”
“He’s running it.”
Gilbert looked at Evelyn.
“And they want your father’s ledger.”
“We don’t have it.”
“They think you can find it.”
Gilbert handed her a small card.
An address.
“Go here. There’s someone waiting.”
“Who?”
“A man who knew Daniel.”
A laser dot appeared on Gilbert’s chest.
Evelyn saw it.
“Gilbert!”
The window cracked.
Gilbert jerked backward.
Blood spread across his shirt.
Evelyn screamed.
Lorenzo grabbed her and dragged her down.
Another shot struck the wall.
“Sniper!”
Gilbert collapsed.
Evelyn crawled toward him.
“No, no, no.”
His breathing turned wet and shallow.
“Evie.”
“I’m here.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop talking.”
“Your father…”
She froze.
“What about him?”
Gilbert coughed.
“They lied.”
“Who lied?”
“Everybody.”
His fingers caught her sleeve.
“He didn’t disappear.”
Evelyn leaned closer.
“Gilbert, where is he?”
His hand went limp.
She shook him.
“Where is he?”
Nothing.
Lorenzo pulled her away as another bullet punched through the apartment.
Evelyn looked at the card in her hand.
An address near the river.
May you like
And beneath it, Gilbert had written three words.
DANIEL IS ALIVE.
