Chapter 5 - The Woman Roman Couldn’t Marry
Roman reached the archive door first.
Locked.
“Marcus!” he shouted into his radio.
Nothing.
Tessa stared at the access panel.
Marcus Vale had worked beside Roman since they were teenagers.
He knew Roman’s routes.
His habits.
His safe houses.
And Tessa’s escape plan.
Roman smashed the emergency cover and manually released the lock.
They returned to Castell House through a service tunnel.
The mansion had emptied.
White flowers remained everywhere.
Champagne glasses stood half-full.
The engagement celebration looked frozen in time.
Roman found Marcus’s office abandoned.
On the desk sat a photograph.
Roman and Marcus at seventeen.
Behind it:
YOU WERE ALWAYS TOO SOFT FOR HER.
Roman’s expression became lethal.
Tessa touched his arm.
“Don’t.”
He looked at her hand.
“Don’t become exactly what he expects.”
Roman breathed slowly.
Then nodded.
Chloe’s phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Her face softened.
Roman noticed.
“So that’s him.”
Tessa glanced between them.
“Who?”
Chloe answered.
“Daniel?”
A male voice spoke rapidly.
Chloe turned pale.
“Where are you?”
She hung up.
“My brother found Daniel.”
“Daniel who?” Tessa asked.
Chloe hesitated.
“Daniel Reyes.”
Roman explained.
“He’s an assistant U.S. attorney.”
Tessa stared.
Chloe gave a humorless smile.
“Yes. Warren Bishop’s daughter is in love with a federal prosecutor. Apparently my family has a sense of humor.”
Daniel had spent two years quietly helping Chloe collect evidence against Salvatore’s network.
That was the real reason Chloe wanted out of the marriage.
She had agreed to the engagement because it bought time.
Just as Roman had.
Tessa looked at Roman.
“So both of you were sacrificing yourselves.”
“Essentially.”
“And neither thought honesty was worth trying.”
Chloe and Roman exchanged a glance.
Tessa shook her head.
“Criminal dynasties really need therapists.”
Even Roman almost smiled.
Then the lights flickered.
Tessa’s phone received a video.
Marcus appeared onscreen.
Behind him sat Daniel Reyes, tied to a chair.
Marcus smiled.
“Midnight. Pier Nine. Bring the original agreement and Eleanor Hayes.”
Chloe whispered, “No.”
Marcus continued.
“And Roman? Bring Tessa too.”
The video ended.
Roman immediately said, “Absolutely not.”
Tessa folded her arms.
“Try that sentence again.”
He closed his eyes.
“Tessa.”
“You need my access credentials.”
“I need you alive.”
“You need both.”
Eleanor stepped forward.
“He wants the audit.”
Roman looked at her.
“What audit?”
“The evidence your father and I collected.”
“You said it was missing.”
“I lied.”
Tessa laughed bitterly.
“Apparently that’s hereditary.”
Eleanor accepted the insult.
“The real audit is somewhere Salvatore could never retrieve it.”
“Where?”
Eleanor looked at Tessa.
“With you.”
Tessa frowned.
“I don’t have it.”
“Yes, you do.”
Eleanor touched the gold pendant around Tessa’s neck.
Tessa had worn it since childhood.
“My grandmother gave me this.”
“No,” Eleanor said. “I did.”
Inside the pendant was a micro-storage capsule.
Twenty-three years of secrets.
Bank transfers.
Names.
Routes.
Photographs.
Enough evidence to destroy Salvatore’s network.
Roman stared at the necklace.
“So that’s why they need her.”
Eleanor nodded.
Tessa removed the pendant.
“No.”
Roman frowned.
“No what?”
“They don’t need me anymore.”
She handed it to him.
“Now you can leave me here.”
Roman looked at the necklace.
Then at her.
“No.”
“Roman.”
“I don’t care about the evidence.”
“That evidence could end this.”
“I care about you.”
The room became quiet.
Chloe looked away.
Eleanor watched Roman carefully.
Tessa whispered, “You can’t keep saying things like that.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re engaged.”
Roman removed the engagement ring from his pocket.
He looked at Chloe.
She nodded.
Roman placed the ring on the table.
“The engagement ends tonight.”
Tessa stared at him.
“And the war?”
“We end that too.”
His phone rang.
Marcus.
Roman answered.
“You have until midnight,” Marcus said.
Then a second voice came through.
Salvatore.
“Bring me Eleanor and the girl.”
Roman’s expression hardened.
Salvatore laughed.
“Or I’ll tell Tessa what really happened the night her father died.”
Tessa went still.
“My father?”
Eleanor’s face collapsed.
Roman turned toward her.
“You said her father died in an accident.”
Eleanor whispered, “Tessa…”
“What did he mean?”
May you like
Eleanor could not look at her.
And Tessa suddenly understood that her mother had hidden one more secret.
