legacy

Chapter 17

The Man Who Stood Guard

Gabriel stared at the garage paperwork. “I rented that space years ago for estate vehicles. Enzo has the second access card.”

Alessandro didn't know whether to believe him. That hurt worse than the accusation. Gabriel had carried Livia to bed when she was sick; he'd also signed a statement that nearly helped Bianca take her.

“Tell Ortiz the truth,” Alessandro said. “Every piece.”

Gabriel handed over his phone. Enzo had threatened to report his younger brother's old gambling debts to a rival crew if Gabriel refused to keep certain cameras offline. Gabriel had agreed to one shutdown, then regretted it and tried to restore the feed. He'd never known about the clippers.

“You should have come to me,” Alessandro said.

“I was afraid you'd think I was weak.”

“I taught you to be.” The admission surprised both men.

Detectives traced the van to the break-in. One driver agreed to cooperate and described Enzo's instructions. His account led investigators to an off-site safe with destroyed phones, backup keys, and a ledger detailing withdrawals from Harbor House.

Bianca, confronted by Ortiz and her own attorney, acknowledged that she'd helped prepare the false guardianship papers. She insisted Enzo had told her the evidence against Alessandro was genuine. She had been wrong to believe him, she said, and wrong to hurt Livia.

“That doesn't undo the child,” Ortiz told her. “It means we now know what to investigate.”

That night Alessandro received a photograph taken from across Teresa's apartment building. Livia's bedroom window was circled in red ink. Underneath someone had written: YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT TO STOP.

May you like

For the first time, he realized Enzo no longer cared about getting caught.

 

Related Stories

Other posts