Chapter 2 - They Took Her Sick Father to Control the Mafia Boss—But Nora Found the Mistake Hidden Inside a $32 Million LieThomas Hastings was missing for fifty-three minutes.
They were the longest fifty-three minutes of Nora's life.
Victor moved her through the restaurant kitchen while Leo's security team secured the building.
Camilla remained under guard.
Matteo and Daniel Capotosti were separated.
Nora barely noticed any of it.
She watched her phone.
Nothing.
At minute nineteen, Victor received confirmation that two men posing as hospital transport staff had moved Thomas from oncology.
At minute twenty-seven, security footage showed the vehicle.
At minute thirty-four, the license plate came back stolen.
At minute forty-one, Nora started shaking.
Victor took off his jacket and placed it around her shoulders.
She almost rejected it.
Then realized she was still wearing wine-soaked silk.
She accepted.
“Thank you.”
He crouched in front of her.
“We'll find him.”
“Don't promise things you can't control.”
Victor went quiet.
“Fair.”
Nora looked at him.
“I'm sorry.”
“For?”
“The ledger.”
“You backed it up.”
“I would've deleted everything.”
“I know.”
“Even evidence about your brother.”
“I know.”
“You aren't angry?”
Victor sat beside her.
“If someone had Caleb, I would burn every ledger I've ever owned.”
She studied him.
“Who's Caleb?”
“My godson.”
He looked away.
“Anthony's son.”
Nora had never heard that.
“How old?”
“Eleven.”
“Where is he?”
“Safe.”
“Does Elliot know?”
Victor didn't answer immediately.
“Yes.”
Cold moved through her.
“If Elliot killed Anthony…”
“I know.”
Victor stood.
That was when Leo called.
Thomas had been found.
Alive.
The kidnappers abandoned him inside a private ambulance after realizing Victor's men were closing in.
Nora cried.
Not elegantly.
She covered face.
Victor didn't touch her until she reached for him.
Then his arms came around her.
Strong.
Careful.
No words.
For thirty seconds Nora forgot who he was.
Then she remembered.
And realized that might be worse.
Because Victor Romano was dangerous when he frightened her.
He was much more dangerous when he made her feel safe.
Her father was transferred to another hospital under guard.
Nora arrived at three in morning.
Thomas opened tired eyes.
“You look terrible.”
She laughed and cried simultaneously.
“You got kidnapped and you're criticizing my dress?”
“Expensive?”
“Very.”
“Then terrible shame.”
She kissed forehead.
Victor waited outside.
Thomas noticed.
“That's your boss?”
“Yes.”
“The scary one?”
“Dad.”
“What? I'm sick, not blind.”
Nora laughed.
Thomas studied Victor through glass.
“He found me?”
“His people did.”
Thomas looked at daughter.
“Be careful.”
“I am.”
“No.”
He squeezed hand.
“Careful with men who make impossible things look easy.”
Nora understood.
“You think I like him.”
“I think you're looking at him differently than you look at hospital administrators.”
“Everyone looks at hospital administrators that way.”
Thomas smiled.
Then slept.
Outside, Victor waited.
“You don't need to stay.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Why?”
“Because Elliot used your father to reach me.”
“He used Dad to reach ledger.”
“Same difference.”
“No.”
Nora looked directly at him.
“I'm not yours.”
Victor became still.
“I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
He said it without defensiveness.
“Then don't make what happened about you owning responsibility for me.”
A long pause.
“What should I make it about?”
“Finding Elliot.”
Victor nodded.
“Done.”
That answer mattered.
Over next forty-eight hours, Nora worked from secure office inside Romano penthouse.
She had never seen Victor's home.
It wasn't what she expected.
Dark wood.
Books.
Family photographs.
No gold statues.
No tiger.
She told him that.
“Why would I have tiger?”
“I don't know. Mafia décor.”
He stared.
“You watch terrible television.”
Probably.
They reconstructed ledger from flash drive.
Then Nora noticed mistake.
Thirty-two million had passed through RH-117.
But timing was wrong.
Transfers started nine years ago.
Three weeks before Anthony Romano died.
Meaning account wasn't being used after his death.
It had been used before.
She showed Victor.
His face drained.
“My brother knew.”
“Maybe.”
“Or Elliot used his access.”
Nora opened earliest transfer.
Payment to company called Meridian Recovery Services.
“What is it?”
Victor stared.
“Security contractor.”
“For?”
“Anthony hired them before Miami.”
“Why?”
“He said someone was following him.”
Nora's heart accelerated.
“Did he tell you who?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Victor looked ashamed.
“Because we were fighting.”
“About?”
“The business.”
Again.
Always the business.
“Anthony wanted out?”
Victor nodded.
“He had Caleb.”
“He wanted different life.”
“Yes.”
“And you?”
“I called him coward.”
Nora said nothing.
Victor laughed bitterly.
“Go ahead.”
“What?”
“Tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“That I was wrong.”
“You already know.”
He looked at her.
That silenced him more effectively than accusation.
They searched Meridian records.
Company dissolved eight years earlier.
One surviving employee.
A former investigator named Samuel Pike.
Leo found address.
They went.
Pike lived in Queens above hardware store.
He opened door, saw Victor, tried closing it.
Leo stopped him.
Victor remained hallway.
“I want to know who killed Anthony.”
Pike went pale.
“Then you should leave.”
“I've spent nine years not leaving.”
Nora stepped forward.
“Mr. Pike, Elliot Russo kidnapped my father yesterday.”
Pike looked at her.
“He's moving again?”
Again.
Victor heard.
“What does that mean?”
Pike let them inside.
The truth came slowly.
Anthony discovered Elliot laundering Romano money through Capotosti companies.
But money wasn't only theft.
It funded political influence network controlled by Charles Davenport.
Anthony planned tell Victor.
Before he could, Elliot arranged Miami trip.
Anthony never returned.
Pike had proof.
Or had.
His office was burglarized after murder.
One thing survived.
Audio recording.
Anthony's voice.
Victor listened.
If something happens to me, Elliot did it.
Victor closed eyes.
Then another voice appeared on recording.
Camilla.
Younger.
Maybe twenty-one.
My father can't know I'm helping you.
Nora stared.
Victor opened eyes.
Camilla had known Anthony.
And perhaps tried helping him.
Everything changed again.
Back at penthouse, Victor confronted her.
Camilla had been held in guest room.
She looked exhausted.
No makeup.
No ivory confidence.
Victor played recording.
She began crying.
“I tried to tell you.”
“When?”
“After Anthony died.”
“You told me it was robbery.”
“Because my father threatened my mother.”
Victor stared.
“You became engaged to me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Camilla looked ashamed.
“At first? Because Dad wanted access.”
Nora felt Victor go cold.
Camilla continued.
“Then I loved you.”
“Don't.”
“I did.”
“You spied on me.”
“Yes.”
“Passed information.”
“Yes.”
“Helped Elliot.”
“No.”
Victor slammed palm against table.
Camilla flinched.
Nora did too.
Victor noticed Nora's reaction.
Immediately stepped back.
His voice lowered.
“What did you know?”
Camilla wiped tears.
“Anthony discovered Dad and Elliot were building political machine with stolen money.”
“Why kill him?”
“Because he had evidence.”
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
Nora thought of secondary ledger.
Anthony was careful.
He had hired investigator.
He created account.
He knew danger.
“He would've made backup.”
Everyone looked at her.
“What?”
Nora continued.
“Your brother knew he might die. Pike's recording proves it. Someone that careful doesn't keep only one copy.”
Victor understood.
“Where?”
Nora looked at family photographs.
Anthony.
Young Victor.
Their mother.
Then Caleb.
“Somewhere Elliot couldn't reach.”
Victor stared at Caleb's photograph.
“No.”
He moved quickly.
“Leo.”
Caleb lived at boarding school in Connecticut under mother's surname.
Almost no one knew.
But Elliot did.
Victor called school.
No answer.
Again.
Then security chief answered.
“Mr. Romano.”
Victor's face changed.
“What happened?”
Nora already knew.
“Caleb is missing.”
Victor closed eyes.
Camilla whispered:
“Oh God.”
Elliot had made next move.
Then Nora's phone rang.
Again.
Elliot.
This time Victor answered.
“What do you want?”
Elliot laughed.
“Ask your secretary.”
Nora took phone.
“Me?”
“You're very good with numbers, Nora.”
Her stomach tightened.
“So solve this one.”
A photograph arrived.
Caleb tied to chair.
Behind him wall painted with faded number:
117
Nora stared.
RH-117.
Not account.
Location.
“Where is he?”
Elliot laughed.
“You have six hours.”
“To do what?”
“Bring me Anthony's backup.”
“We don't have it.”
“Then find it.”
Call ended.
Victor looked ready to tear city apart.
Nora stared at photograph.
Wall.
Rust.
A partial logo behind Caleb.
Three letters.
RMC
Romano Maritime Company.
Victor's first business with Anthony.
Nora turned.
“Where was your first warehouse?”
Victor stared.
“Brooklyn.”
“Unit?”
His expression changed.
“One-seventeen.”
They had location.
But Nora knew something else.
Elliot wanted them there.
Which meant Caleb wasn't bait for backup.
Caleb was bait for Victor.
And Victor was angry enough to walk directly into trap.
Nora stepped in front of him.
“You're not going alone.”
“No.”
“You're doing it again.”
“What?”
“Deciding.”
His jaw tightened.
“This isn't dinner.”
“No. It's exactly when your promises matter.”
He stared at her.
“Nora—”
“You hired me because I notice numbers people miss.”
She held up Caleb's photograph.
“And right now you need me.”
Victor looked at her for long time.
Then:
“Yes.”
One word.
Not command.
Admission.
“Yes, I do.”
May you like
And that frightened Nora more than anything else.
Because she needed him too.
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