Chapter 12 - My Sister Knocked at Midnight
The answer arrived seconds later.
A photograph.
Marco holding a newborn boy.
Celeste covered her mouth.
Adrian stared.
“Who is that?”
Dante zoomed in.
The hospital bracelet was visible.
Baby Castellano.
Male.
Born four days earlier.
Nadine looked at Dante.
“You said you had no other children.”
“I don’t.”
Adrian understood.
“Marco does.”
Marco had a son.
Vittorio now possessed another Castellano heir.
The kidnapping had been staged to frighten Nadine into bringing the ledger.
But why steal Marco’s own child?
Because Marco was no longer cooperating.
Vittorio had turned on him.
Minutes later, Marco called again.
This time his voice was different.
Desperate.
“He took my son.”
Nadine closed her eyes.
“You helped him come after mine.”
“I know.”
“You helped him hunt me.”
“I know.”
“Why should I help you?”
“Because my son didn't do anything.”
That stopped her.
Children did not inherit their parents’ sins.
“Where is Vittorio?”
“Old Castellano shipping terminal.”
Dante grabbed his coat.
Nadine stopped him.
“No.”
“He has a baby.”
“And he expects you.”
Adrian nodded.
“We do this with law enforcement.”
Dante hated it.
But he agreed.
Marco surrendered.
In exchange, he gave investigators everything.
Vittorio’s routes.
His accounts.
His remaining men.
And the location of his son.
The operation began before dawn.
Nadine remained at the safe house with Lucia and Celeste.
She hated waiting.
At 5:42 a.m., Adrian called.
“We have the baby.”
Nadine exhaled.
“And Vittorio?”
Silence.
“He escaped.”
Again.
But this time there was nowhere left for him to go.
His accounts were frozen.
His allies arrested.
His organization collapsing.
Marco agreed to testify.
Dante returned carrying Marco’s son.
The infant was unharmed.
Marco saw him and collapsed to his knees.
Nadine watched the man who had helped terrorize her sob over his child.
She did not forgive him.
But she understood something.
Vittorio had built power by turning fear into obedience.
Dante had done the same thing, though less brutally.
Perhaps that was the real inheritance they needed to destroy.
Later, Nadine stood with Dante outside.
“What happens now?”
“I cooperate.”
“You could go to prison.”
“Yes.”
“Does that scare you?”
“Yes.”
She appreciated the answer.
He looked at her.
“If that happens, don't wait for me.”
Nadine’s throat tightened.
“Dante.”
“I mean it. Live.”
Before she could answer, a car approached.
One vehicle.
No escort.
It stopped.
A man stepped out.
Old.
Unarmed.
Dante went rigid.
Nadine had never seen him before.
But Celeste had.
She whispered his name.
The supposedly dead accountant who had started everything.
He walked toward Nadine carrying a sealed envelope.
“This came from your father,” he said.
“He told me to give it to you only after Vittorio lost everything.”
Nadine reached for it.
May you like
The accountant held on.
“Before you read it, there’s something you need to know about the night your father died…”
