Chapter 12 - The Groundbreaking
Three hundred people filled the Halsted redevelopment site by ten the next morning.
Investors.
Reporters.
Union leaders.
City inspectors.
Cameras.
Dominic stood behind the temporary stage with his cane and watched workers in reflective vests move across ground that might contain Michael Rowan’s remains.
The ceremony had not been canceled.
Vincent hated the decision.
“This is insane.”
“If we cancel, Rafael disappears.”
“If we don’t, people could die.”
“That’s why the bomb squad has been here since four.”
“They found nothing.”
Dominic looked at the concrete slab.
“Exactly.”
Rafael had spent years planning this.
He would not leave an obvious device.
Clare stood nearby.
Ellie was miles away under heavy protection.
Clare hadn’t argued.
Not this time.
Lydia had agreed to help.
Arthur had insisted on coming despite Dominic ordering otherwise.
“I’m done hiding,” Arthur said.
Dominic understood.
Guilt had finally become heavier than fear.
At 10:17, Dominic stepped onto the stage.
Applause rose.
He ignored it.
The prepared speech sat untouched on the podium.
Dominic looked into the cameras.
“My name is Dominic Vale.”
The crowd quieted.
“I was supposed to speak today about jobs, investment, and the future.”
Vincent watched from behind the stage.
Clare stood beside Lydia.
Arthur remained near the front row.
Dominic continued.
“Instead, I’m going to speak about the past.”
Every reporter leaned forward.
“Twenty-eight years ago, a man named Michael Rowan worked with the Vale organization.”
Clare covered her mouth.
Dominic had not warned her he would do this now.
“He discovered crimes committed under my father, Leonard Vale.”
Murmurs spread.
Arthur closed his eyes.
Dominic continued.
“Michael Rowan disappeared.”
He looked directly at Clare.
“For decades, his family was told he stole money and ran.”
Dominic’s voice hardened.
“That was a lie.”
Cameras clicked.
“My father ordered his murder.”
The crowd exploded with noise.
Vincent scanned the perimeter.
Dominic raised his voice.
“We have reason to believe Michael Rowan’s remains are beneath this property.”
A reporter shouted, “Are you confessing to organized crime?”
Dominic ignored him.
“Effective immediately, construction is suspended. This site will be turned over to law enforcement and forensic investigators.”
Clare began crying.
Arthur stepped onto the stage.
Dominic looked at him.
Arthur took the microphone.
“I was there.”
The crowd went silent again.
“I drove the vehicle used during the crime.”
Lydia stared at her father.
Arthur’s voice shook.
“I believed Michael was already dead.”
He looked into the cameras.
“I never checked because I was afraid to know.”
Clare watched him.
“That cowardice has followed me for twenty-eight years.”
A loud metallic pop came from beneath the stage.
Vincent’s face changed.
“Move!”
He tackled Dominic just as the ground erupted.
Not a massive explosion.
A controlled blast.
Concrete cracked.
People screamed.
Dust swallowed the stage.
Dominic hit the ground.
His injured knee twisted.
Pain shot up his leg.
Vincent dragged him.
“Secondary!”
Another blast ripped across the eastern slab.
Clare fell.
Lydia pulled her behind a barrier.
Arthur disappeared in the dust.
People ran toward the exits.
Dominic coughed.
“Rafael!”
Vincent grabbed him.
“You can barely stand.”
“Find Clare.”
“She’s there.”
“Arthur?”
No answer.
Dominic saw movement near the broken slab.
A man in a black work jacket.
Scar on his cheek.
Rafael.
He was standing at the edge of a newly opened cavity.
Holding a detonator.
“Rafael!”
Rafael looked at him.
Then raised the device.
Dominic stopped.
“There are civilians here.”
“They’re leaving.”
“You could kill them.”
“My father suffocated under this ground.”
“That doesn’t make them responsible.”
Rafael’s face twisted.
“Your family never cared who was responsible.”
Clare appeared through the dust.
“Rafael!”
His entire expression changed.
He stared at her.
Sister and brother looking at one another for the first time.
Clare stepped forward.
“You threatened my daughter.”
Rafael’s hand tightened around the detonator.
“I never would’ve touched her.”
“You sent the message.”
“To scare Dominic.”
“She’s four!”
His face broke slightly.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
Clare moved closer.
“You know what happened to us. You know what it feels like when adults use children to settle old debts.”
Rafael lowered the detonator an inch.
Then gunfire cracked from the parking structure.
Rafael jerked.
Clare screamed.
A bullet hit his shoulder.
Vincent shoved Dominic down.
Another bullet struck the stage frame.
Rafael hadn’t been the only person with a plan.
Dominic looked toward the parking structure.
A shooter stood on the second level.
Older man.
May you like
Gray coat.
Elias Vale.
