Chapter 6 - The Woman He Could Not Buy
Penelope spent the next hour discovering how quickly hope could become paperwork.
Calls.
Transfers.
Voicemails.
People explaining that nobody knew why the approval had changed.
Dr. Shah sounded furious.
The trial coordinator claimed an administrative review had uncovered an eligibility conflict.
Nobody could explain what conflict.
Lorenzo stood across the conference room at Moretti Holdings while Penelope made every call herself.
He offered help twice.
She refused twice.
The third time, he stopped asking.
At 3:12 a.m., Penelope ended another call and slammed her phone onto the table.
“They won’t even tell me who made the decision.”
Lorenzo said, “Vale.”
“I know.”
“I can reverse it.”
She laughed without humor.
“How?”
“A call.”
“To whom?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.”
“Why?”
“Because every time someone in this city has a problem, you reach for a phone like the rules are optional.”
“They often are.”
“That’s exactly what scares me.”
He stepped closer.
“Your brother may die while you protect a principle.”
Penelope’s eyes flashed.
“And what happens when your solution creates another person like Adrian Vale?”
Silence.
Lorenzo stopped.
She continued.
“You pay an official because you think your reason is good. Vale pays one because his reason benefits him. Both of you decide the system doesn’t apply.”
“That is not the same.”
“To the person being bought, maybe it is.”
He looked away.
Penelope immediately regretted the cruelty.
But not the point.
“I need to know there’s another way,” she said.
Lorenzo leaned against the table.
“There may be.”
“What?”
“Expose everything.”
She stared.
“Halcyon?”
“Yes.”
“Wouldn’t that incriminate you?”
“Yes.”
“How badly?”
“Possibly enough to lose my company.”
“And go to prison.”
“Yes.”
She searched his face.
“You’d do that?”
“If Vale’s leverage disappears, he loses the reason to threaten Owen’s treatment.”
“That doesn’t guarantee the trial comes back.”
“No.”
“So why?”
“Because I should have done it three years ago.”
That surprised her.
“You said you were protecting witnesses.”
“I was.”
“Then why was it wrong?”
“Because after they were safe, I kept the file.”
“Why?”
He looked toward Chicago beyond the glass.
“Power.”
Penelope waited.
“If Vale knew I had it, he stayed away from certain businesses. Certain neighborhoods. Certain people.”
“So you used it as leverage.”
“Yes.”
“Like him.”
Lorenzo’s jaw tightened.
“Yes.”
That one word changed something between them.
He was not asking her to believe he was good.
He was admitting where he had failed.
“What happens if you release it?”
“Federal investigators get everything. Vale’s network. The officials. My payments. Cross’s involvement.”
“And Owen?”
“We prove coercion.”
“Can you?”
“Yes.”
She sat down.
“You could lose everything.”
“Not everything.”
Their eyes met.
Penelope looked away first.
At six that morning, Owen called.
His fever was down.
His trial remained cancelled.
He sounded calm.
Too calm.
“Penny, don’t do anything stupid.”
She laughed.
“That’s usually my line.”
“I mean it.”
“I know.”
“If I don’t get the treatment—”
“Stop.”
“I need to say this.”
“No.”
“You have spent six years living like my life is your assignment.”
Her throat tightened.
“You are my brother.”
“And you’re my sister. Not my bank. Not my nurse. Not my replacement mom.”
“Owen.”
“If this doesn’t work, you still have to live.”
“It will work.”
“You don’t know that.”
“It will.”
He sighed.
“You’re impossible.”
“I learned from my boss.”
Lorenzo, across the room, looked over.
Owen continued.
“Is Batman there?”
“Yes.”
“Put me on speaker.”
“No.”
“Penny.”
She sighed and did it.
Owen’s voice filled the conference room.
“Moretti.”
Lorenzo approached.
“Owen.”
“If my sister ends up murdered because of my gambling debt, I’m haunting you.”
Penelope closed her eyes.
“Owen.”
Lorenzo said, “Fair.”
“And don’t marry her because of some weird mafia honor thing.”
Penelope nearly dropped the phone.
Lorenzo raised an eyebrow.
“That wasn’t the plan.”
“Good.”
A pause.
“Unless she wants to.”
Penelope glared at him.
Owen laughed.
Then coughed.
The sound brought everything back.
“Rest,” Penelope said.
“Love you.”
“Love you too.”
The call ended.
Lorenzo looked at her.
“He likes me.”
“He threatened to haunt you.”
“Affection takes many forms.”
She almost smiled.
Then Marco entered.
“We have the location.”
Lorenzo straightened.
“Vale?”
“Meeting at midnight. Old freight terminal on South Branch.”
“Expected.”
“He says come alone.”
“No.”
Penelope stood.
“I’m coming.”
“Absolutely not.”
“He used my brother.”
“That is why you’re not coming.”
“He threatened me.”
“Another reason.”
“He wants Halcyon because of Owen’s copy.”
“And?”
“This started with my family.”
Lorenzo stepped closer.
“This started with Vale choosing to exploit your family.”
“I still get a say.”
“No.”
Penelope stared.
“No?”
“No.”
“Do you want to know why I hate accepting your help?”
His expression changed.
“Because you confuse protection with control.”
He said nothing.
She continued.
“You walked into that restaurant and announced I was your future wife without asking me.”
“I know.”
“You followed me.”
“Yes.”
“You investigated my finances.”
“Yes.”
“You moved me into your home.”
“You were threatened.”
“That doesn’t erase the pattern.”
Lorenzo’s face became unreadable.
She softened.
“I know you’re trying to keep me safe.”
“I am.”
“But if being safe means surrendering every choice to you, then I’m just in another kind of cage.”
The words landed.
Lorenzo looked down.
For the first time in two years, Penelope watched him reconsider an order.
Finally he asked, “What do you want?”
The question was simple.
It meant everything.
“I want to come.”
“No.”
Her eyes narrowed.
He lifted a hand.
“You asked for a choice. I’m allowed an opinion.”
Despite herself, she smiled.
“I’m coming.”
He exhaled.
“Then you stay with Marco.”
“Fine.”
“You wear protection.”
“Bulletproof?”
“Yes.”
She swallowed.
“Fine.”
“You do exactly what Marco says.”
“Within reason.”
“Penelope.”
“Fine.”
Lorenzo looked at her.
“And the ring?”
She blinked.
“What about it?”
“You never answered.”
“That was not a proposal.”
“Technically I opened a ring box and called you my future wife.”
“In front of people who were insulting me.”
“So poor timing.”
“Extremely.”
He reached into his pocket.
The velvet box appeared again.
Penelope’s heart changed rhythm.
“Lorenzo.”
“I’m not proposing.”
“Good.”
“I’m asking whether you want me to stop carrying it.”
She looked at the box.
Then at him.
“No.”
His eyes changed.
“Why?”
“Because I haven’t decided yet.”
For once, Lorenzo Moretti had no response.
At 11:52 p.m., they arrived at the freight terminal.
Old warehouses lined the river.
Marco remained forty yards back with Penelope.
Lorenzo walked forward alone carrying a metal case.
Vale emerged from behind a parked SUV.
He was older than Penelope expected.
Gray hair.
Elegant coat.
The appearance of a man who might chair a charity dinner.
Two armed men stood behind him.
“Moretti.”
“Vale.”
“Case.”
“First Owen’s trial.”
Vale smiled.
“You still think this is about the trial?”
Penelope’s stomach tightened.
Lorenzo did not move.
“What is it about?”
“You.”
“Be specific.”
“I spent years trying to find something you would sacrifice power for.”
Vale looked beyond him.
Directly toward the darkness where Penelope stood.
“And then she appeared.”
Marco whispered, “Stay down.”
Vale continued.
“You should never have walked into that restaurant.”
Lorenzo’s voice was cold.
“You should never have involved her.”
“Open the case.”
Lorenzo did.
Inside were drives and printed documents.
Vale nodded.
“Good.”
“Restore the trial.”
Vale smiled.
“No.”
Lorenzo went still.
“That wasn’t our agreement.”
“You misunderstand. Owen was never going to lose his treatment.”
Penelope’s eyes widened.
Vale continued.
“The cancellation was fake.”
Lorenzo’s expression changed.
“You forged the notice.”
“I needed urgency.”
“You threatened a dying man for leverage.”
“I threatened paperwork.”
Lorenzo took one step forward.
Vale’s guards raised their weapons.
Marco tensed.
Then Vale said something that made everyone freeze.
“Ask Penelope why her brother really borrowed the money.”
Penelope’s pulse stopped.
Lorenzo looked toward her hiding place.
Vale smiled.
“He wasn’t gambling to pay medical bills.”
Penelope stepped out before Marco could stop her.
“What are you talking about?”
Vale looked delighted.
“There she is.”
Lorenzo turned.
“Penelope, go back.”
“No.”
Vale reached into his coat.
Marco drew his weapon.
“Hands!”
Vale slowly produced an envelope.
He held it up.
“Your brother borrowed forty thousand dollars because somebody told him your mother’s death wasn’t natural.”
Penelope stared.
“What?”
Lorenzo’s face changed.
May you like
Vale smiled.
“And he paid me to find out who killed her.”
