Chapter 10 - ighteen Minutes
Darkness swallowed the Torino estate.
Sophie screamed.
Vincent reached her before the sound finished.
He lifted her into his arms.
“Elena.”
“I’m here.”
“Stay behind me.”
For once, she did not argue.
Tony entered from the hallway carrying a flashlight.
“Generator should have activated.”
“It didn’t.”
Vincent looked toward Luca.
“Inside job.”
Luca nodded.
A distant crash came from the eastern wing.
Sophie buried her face against Vincent’s shoulder.
“It’s okay.”
Vincent spoke quietly.
“I have you.”
Another sound.
Glass.
Tony reached toward his coat.
Vincent stopped him.
“No shooting near Sophie.”
Tony nodded.
Vincent looked at Elena.
“Basement safe room.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“This is not a discussion.”
“It never is with you.”
“Elena.”
She saw the fear in his eyes.
Not fear for himself.
For them.
Her anger disappeared.
“All right.”
Vincent handed Sophie to her.
Sophie clung to his neck.
“No.”
“Sophie.”
“Come with us.”
“I will.”
“You promise?”
Vincent hesitated.
Elena saw it.
Sophie saw it too.
“Promise.”
Vincent touched her cheek.
“I promise I will try.”
“That’s not the same.”
“No.”
He met her eyes.
“It’s the truth.”
She reluctantly let go.
Tony escorted Elena and Sophie toward the hidden stairwell.
Vincent remained with Luca.
“Who knows the estate systems?”
Luca thought.
“Marco.”
“Tony.”
“You.”
“Me.”
“Nico.”
Vincent stared.
Tony had once brought Nico here for summers.
The boy knew every corridor.
Every old service passage.
“Bellini could have gotten plans from him.”
Luca looked toward the dark hall.
“Or Nico is here.”
Vincent did not answer.
They moved toward the eastern wing.
A guard lay unconscious near the conservatory.
Alive.
Vincent checked his pulse.
Whoever entered had chosen not to kill him.
That mattered.
The conservatory door stood open.
Moonlight entered through broken glass.
A man waited near Maria’s old rose garden.
Vincent recognized the silhouette.
“Nico.”
Luca tensed.
Nico stepped into the moonlight.
He held no weapon.
Vincent lowered his hand.
“Where is Bellini?”
Nico laughed quietly.
“You still think I work for him.”
“Do you?”
“No.”
Luca stared.
“You threatened the Golden Palm.”
“To stop you opening the chamber before Bellini’s men could get there.”
Vincent frowned.
“You could have explained.”
“Would you have believed me?”
“No.”
Nico nodded.
“Exactly.”
Vincent stepped closer.
“Why cut the power?”
“I didn’t.”
Luca looked around.
“Then who did?”
Nico’s face changed.
“That’s why I came.”
A sound echoed from the western side of the house.
Nico turned.
“Bellini knows Elena has Daniel’s ledger.”
Vincent’s blood chilled.
“How?”
“Because Marco works for him.”
Vincent froze.
Marco.
His lieutenant for fifteen years.
The man he had sent to the hospital.
The man who knew where Sophie slept.
Vincent ran.
The safe room was beneath the western library.
He reached the staircase seconds later.
The steel door stood open.
Tony was on the floor.
Bleeding from the forehead but conscious.
“Elena.”
Vincent dropped beside him.
“Where?”
“Marco.”
Tony struggled upright.
“He took her.”
“Sophie?”
“Still here.”
Vincent’s heart restarted.
A small voice came from behind the desk.
“Mr. Vincent?”
Sophie crawled out.
Vincent pulled her against him.
“Where is your mother?”
“The bad man took her.”
Her voice broke.
“She told me to hide.”
Vincent looked at Tony.
“How long?”
“Two minutes.”
Nico appeared at the doorway.
Vincent stood.
Every instinct he had screamed for violence.
Sophie was holding his hand.
He forced himself to think.
“Cars?”
Tony answered.
“Service road.”
Luca ran toward the security room.
Nico looked at Sophie.
She stared back.
“Who are you?”
Nico froze.
Vincent answered.
“His name is Nico.”
Sophie studied him.
“You look like Mr. Vincent.”
No one spoke.
Nico looked away.
Vincent crouched beside Sophie.
“I need you to stay with Tony.”
“No.”
“I have to get your mother.”
“I’m coming.”
“No.”
“She’s my mama.”
Vincent felt his heart break.
He touched her shoulders.
“And because she is your mother, the best thing you can do is stay alive for her.”
Sophie began crying.
Vincent lowered his voice.
“She stayed alive for you yesterday.”
“Now you stay safe for her.”
Sophie looked at him.
“Bring her back.”
Vincent nodded.
“I will.”
This time he did not qualify the promise.
Luca returned.
“Vehicle heading south.”
“Which road?”
“County access.”
Nico grabbed keys.
“I know where Marco will take her.”
Vincent stared.
“Bellini has an old warehouse near Calumet Harbor.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve been there.”
Vincent looked toward Tony.
Tony understood.
“Go.”
Vincent hesitated.
Tony pointed.
“Bring her home.”
Vincent, Luca, and Nico left together.
None of them trusted one another completely.
All three wanted Elena alive.
That was enough.
Inside the car, Nico gave directions.
Vincent drove.
Luca sat in back.
Rain began again.
“Why did Bellini need Daniel alive?” Vincent asked.
Nico stared through the windshield.
“Codes.”
“What codes?”
“Daniel divided the original evidence.”
“Some beneath the Golden Palm.”
“Some elsewhere.”
“Bellini wanted everything.”
“Did Daniel give it to him?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Nico smiled faintly.
“Because Daniel was tougher than any of us expected.”
Vincent thought of Elena.
It seemed fitting.
“What happened the night Daniel died?”
Nico’s face changed.
“Bellini cornered him near the river.”
“I was there.”
Vincent looked sharply.
“You saw him die?”
“Yes.”
“Did you kill him?”
Nico turned.
“No.”
Vincent believed him.
“Who did?”
Nico looked away.
“Marco.”
Vincent’s hands tightened around the wheel.
Marco had been inside his family for fifteen years.
Daniel’s killer had eaten at Vincent’s table.
Celebrated holidays.
Protected his door.
Vincent felt rage rising.
Then Elena’s voice seemed to return to him.
Protection and control.
Guilt and truth.
He forced the rage down.
They reached Calumet Harbor twenty-three minutes later.
Nico led them through an abandoned shipping yard.
A warehouse light glowed near the water.
Inside, Elena sat tied to a chair.
Marco stood beside her.
Salvatore Bellini was nowhere visible.
Vincent entered alone.
Marco smiled.
“Boss.”
Vincent’s voice was cold.
“Untie her.”
Marco laughed.
“Thirty years working for men who think they own everything.”
“Fifteen.”
“What?”
“You worked for me fifteen years.”
Marco’s smile faded.
“The rest you spent working for Salvatore.”
Elena looked toward Vincent.
She was frightened.
But alert.
Vincent noticed crushed leaves beside her chair.
Green.
Small.
He followed them with his eyes.
A trail.
Elena had been dropping leaves from the floral corsage she still wore.
A path for rescuers.
Even kidnapped, she had been thinking.
Vincent almost smiled.
Marco noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Vincent took another step.
“Bellini wants the ledger.”
“Yes.”
“He will not get it.”
Marco pressed a pistol toward Elena.
Vincent stopped.
“No closer.”
Behind Marco, a shadow moved.
Nico.
Vincent kept Marco’s attention.
“You killed Daniel.”
Elena’s eyes changed.
Marco looked at her.
“Yes.”
She inhaled sharply.
Vincent continued.
“Why?”
“He wouldn’t talk.”
“Salvatore ordered it?”
Marco smiled.
“Salvatore orders everything.”
That was enough.
Elena closed her eyes.
Pain crossed her face.
But she stayed silent.
Then Luca killed the warehouse lights.
Darkness.
A struggle.
A shot hit metal.
Elena screamed.
Vincent moved toward her voice.
Seconds later, emergency light entered through the windows.
Marco was on the ground.
Nico stood over him.
Luca had Elena.
Vincent reached her.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
He untied her hands.
She immediately slapped him across the chest.
Vincent stared.
“You promised Sophie you’d come back.”
“I’m standing here.”
“You walked into a warehouse alone.”
“You noticed.”
“I hate you.”
Her voice broke.
Then she threw her arms around him.
Vincent froze.
Only for a moment.
Then he held her.
Tightly.
Luca looked away.
Nico did too.
Elena whispered against Vincent’s shoulder.
“Marco killed Daniel.”
“I know.”
“He admitted it.”
“We heard.”
She pulled back.
“Bellini ordered him.”
“Yes.”
Vincent looked toward Marco.
For the first time in his life, vengeance did not feel satisfying.
It felt small.
Police sirens approached.
Nico stiffened.
“You called police?”
Vincent shook his head.
Elena raised her hand.
“I did.”
Everyone looked at her.
She pulled a tiny emergency transmitter from her sleeve.
“Detective Donovan gave it to me before we left the hospital.”
Vincent stared.
“You have been carrying that all day?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
Elena gave him a pointed look.
“Apparently everyone has secrets.”
Despite everything, Vincent smiled.
Marco was arrested.
But Salvatore escaped.
Back at the estate, Sophie ran into Elena’s arms.
Vincent stood several feet away.
Nico watched from the doorway.
Sophie eventually noticed him.
“You helped?”
Nico nodded.
“A little.”
She approached him.
Then hugged him.
Nico froze exactly as Vincent had when Sophie first took his hand.
Vincent saw himself in the reaction.
He looked toward Tony.
Tony had returned from medical treatment with a bandage above one eyebrow.
For a second, three generations of men stood in the same room without knowing how to belong to one another.
Then Elena appeared beside Vincent.
“You should tell him.”
“Tell who?”
“Nico.”
“What?”
“That you don’t expect him to choose between you and Tony.”
Vincent looked at her.
“How did you know?”
“Because that is what I would be afraid of.”
Vincent nodded.
Later, he found Nico outside.
Tony stood nearby.
Vincent spoke quietly.
“Tony is your father.”
Nico looked at him.
Vincent continued.
“He earned that word.”
Tony lowered his eyes.
Vincent swallowed.
“If there is ever room for me…”
Nico stared.
“I would take whatever name you can give me.”
Nico looked away.
No answer came.
But he did not leave.
For Vincent, that was enough.
At three in the morning, Luca entered the library carrying building plans.
“We have another problem.”
Vincent sighed.
“Of course.”
Luca spread the plans across a table.
“The chamber under Golden Palm connects to an older tunnel.”
Vincent frowned.
“Where?”
Luca traced it.
“Across the block.”
“Into what building?”
Luca looked up.
“Bellini’s original office.”
Vincent stared.
Luca pointed toward a notation from 1957.
“There is another room.”
“What room?”
“Daniel marked it with one word.”
Vincent leaned closer.
MARIA.
Elena came beside him.
Under the word was a date.
November 4, 1957.
May you like
And another note.
SHE LEFT SOMETHING FOR VINCENT.
