Chapter 15 - The Voice in the Bear
Tomas opened the bear’s camera feed on his phone.
At first there was only static.
Then a voice came through the tiny speaker hidden inside the toy.
Gregory.
“Valeria, if you can hear this, don’t come to Pier Nine.”
The signal cut, returned, then sharpened.
Gregory sounded weak.
“Victor thinks I’m still working with him. I’m not. Serena has the toxicology sample. She kept it as insurance. Marco is bringing her to the river warehouse, not Pier Nine. Pier Nine is a trap.”
Luca scoffed. “Convenient.”
Gregory continued.
“I know you hate me. You should. But listen to me once. Victor planned Carlo’s death. Serena did it. I helped cover it up.”
Valeria’s jaw clenched.
“And the room behind the mirror?” Gregory said. “That was mine. I locked Noah there because he heard too much. I told myself I was protecting him from Victor. That’s a lie. I was protecting myself.”
Valeria fought the urge to smash the phone.
Gregory’s voice broke.
“I’m sorry, buddy.”
Silence.
Then a distant shout.
Gregory spoke quickly.
“Valeria, there’s something you don’t know about Luca.”
Luca moved toward the phone.
Tomas blocked him.
Gregory said, “He didn’t just sign the petition. He gave Victor the trust amendment three months ago.”
Everyone turned toward Luca.
He went white.
“No.”
The bear transmitted Gregory’s final words before the signal died.
“Ask him what he got in return.”
Valeria faced her brother.
Luca backed toward the door.
“Val, it wasn’t like that.”
“What did you get?”
He said nothing.
Tomas drew his weapon.
“What did you get?” Valeria repeated.
Luca’s shoulders collapsed.
“Ten million dollars.”
Maya whispered, “You sold Noah’s future.”
Luca shook his head wildly. “I thought it was just leverage. I didn’t know Victor planned to kill anyone.”
Valeria stepped closer.
“My father?”
“I didn’t know.”
“My son?”
“I swear.”
Then Tomas’s tablet pinged.
The bear signal had returned for one second.
Not from Pier Nine.
May you like
From a Romano-owned warehouse that had been empty for sixteen years.
The same warehouse where the Vale family war had ended.
