Chapter Ten
961 Words
“How is that possible?” Sloane’s voice rose. “You gave them the evidence!”
Mateo was already dialing. “Harris, what the hell? Rossi walked?”
He listened, his face darkening. “I don’t care about technicalities. He’s a murderer. You had him.”
A pause. Then: “Twenty‑four hours. Find him.”
He hung up and slammed his fist against the wall.
“His lawyers filed an emergency motion. Claimed the evidence was obtained illegally. A judge agreed.”
“So he’s free?”
“For now. They’ll refile, but it takes time. Time Rossi will use to disappear.” Mateo turned to her, his eyes blazing. “Or to come after us.”
Sloane’s blood ran cold. “My mother.”
“She’s in a safe house. Federal protection. She’s okay for now.” He grabbed her hand. “But you’re not. You’re with me. And Rossi knows it.”
“What do we do?”
“We go home. We lock down. And we wait.”
---
The penthouse felt different now—smaller, darker, like a fortress under siege. Mateo posted guards at every entrance, checked every window, every camera.
Sloane sat in the living room, her knees pulled to her chest, watching him pace.
“You should sleep,” he said.
“I can’t.”
He stopped pacing and sat beside her on the couch. “Neither can I.”
They sat in silence, the city lights flickering through the windows.
“Tell me something,” Sloane said. “Something real.”
He was quiet for a moment. Then: “I was eight years old when my mother died. I didn’t understand what happened. One day she was there, the next… gone. My father told me she was sick. It wasn’t until years later that I learned the truth.”
“That Rossi killed her.”
“Because she was going to expose him. She had evidence, just like your mother. But she wasn’t fast enough.” His voice cracked. “I’ve spent twenty‑six years wanting revenge. And now that I have it—the proof, the means—he walks free.”
“He won’t walk for long.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know you won’t stop until he’s caught.”
He looked at her, something raw in his eyes. “Why do you believe in me?”
“Because you saved my mother. Because you saved your sister. Because you tore up a contract that would have kept me trapped.” She reached out and took his hand. “Because when you look at me, I don’t feel like a contractor. I feel like a person.”
He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. She could feel his heart pounding against her chest.
“I’m scared,” he admitted. “Not of Rossi. Of losing you.”
“You won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Then we’ll face it together.”
They stayed like that for a long time, wrapped in each other, the darkness pressing against the windows.
---
The call came at 3 a.m.
Mateo’s phone rang, shrill and insistent. He answered, listened, and went pale.
“Where?” A pause. “We’ll be there.”
He hung up and looked at Sloane. “They found Rossi. He’s at Pier 7. The same warehouse where he held Isabella. He’s demanding to see me. Alone.”
“Sloane—”
“I said no.” She stood, her legs steady despite her fear. “We go together. That’s the deal.”
He stared at her for a long moment. Then he nodded.
“Stay behind me. If I say run, you run.”
“I know the rules.”
They drove through the empty streets, the city asleep. The warehouse district was dark, silent, the only light the moon reflecting off the water.
Mateo parked a block away. They approached on foot, their footsteps echoing.
The warehouse door was open.
Inside, a single light illuminated a chair. Rossi sat in it, his hands cuffed, his face bruised. Behind him, Diana stood with a gun pointed at his head.
“Mateo,” Diana said, her voice calm. “I brought you a present.”
Rossi laughed, a bitter sound. “My own daughter. Betraying her blood.”
“You stopped being my blood when you tried to have me killed.”
Mateo stepped forward. “What is this, Diana?”
“This is me ending it. I told the FBI where he was hiding. I gave them everything. But they’re slow. I wanted you to see him first.” She looked at Sloane. “I wanted you to know that some of us keep our promises.”
Sloane’s heart pounded. “You could have been killed.”
“I know.” Diana smiled. “But I’m tired of being afraid.”
Rossi lunged, but his cuffs held. “You’ll rot in hell for this.”
“Maybe. But you’ll get there first.”
The warehouse doors burst open. FBI agents flooded in, surrounding Rossi. Diana lowered her gun and raised her hands.
“I’m ready,” she said.
An agent cuffed her, gentle, almost respectful. She walked past Sloane without looking back.
Mateo watched her go. “She saved us.”
“She saved herself,” Sloane said. “That’s not nothing.”
Rossi was dragged away, screaming threats. The warehouse emptied.
Sloane and Mateo stood alone in the dim light.
“It’s over,” she said.
He turned to her. “It’s just beginning.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. “I have something for you. Not a contract. A choice.”
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD