Chapter 13 - DOMINIC CAME HOME
Dominic stood outside the gate with both hands visible.
Victor stood ten feet behind him.
No weapons could be seen.
Police were notified.
Luca refused to wait.
He entered the security vestibule alone.
I followed anyway.
“Hannah.”
“No.”
He stared at me.
“You don’t know what he wants.”
“He stole three years of my life with Sophia too.”
That stopped him.
He nodded once.
The outer gate remained locked.
Dominic stood on the other side.
Older than he had looked at the gala.
Tired.
Wet from rain.
“Open it,” he said.
Luca did not.
“Talk.”
Dominic glanced at me.
“You brought her into your home.”
“She belongs here more than you do right now.”
The words surprised all three of us.
Dominic’s expression tightened.
“Luca.”
“Why did you kill Alessandra?”
“I didn’t.”
“We have the recording.”
A flicker.
Tiny.
But real.
“What recording?”
“Her locket.”
Dominic closed his eyes.
For the first time, he seemed afraid.
“Victor tampered with the brakes.”
Victor spoke from behind him.
“On your orders.”
Dominic turned.
“Shut up.”
Victor laughed.
“You told me you’d protect me.”
“You murdered a woman.”
“You paid me.”
Luca stepped closer to the gate.
“Why are you here?”
Victor answered.
“Because he was going to kill me.”
Dominic’s face hardened.
“Liar.”
Victor lifted his shirt.
A dark bloodstain spread along his side.
“He sent Sal.”
Luca looked at Dominic.
“Salvatore?”
Dominic did not answer.
Victor continued.
“Your uncle has been cleaning the edges for three years.”
“What edges?”
“Anybody who knew.”
My skin went cold.
“Dr. Evans’s son?”
Victor shook his head.
“That was Dominic.”
Dominic did not deny it.
Luca’s voice changed.
“You had a child hit with a car?”
“He survived.”
I stared at him.
That answer told me everything.
Luca stepped closer.
“You kept Hannah away from Sophia.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Sophia talked too much.”
“And Hannah?”
“She was in the car.”
“I was trying to save them.”
Dominic looked at me.
“That made you dangerous.”
I felt no fear now.
Only disgust.
“You threatened me.”
“I warned you.”
“You sent someone to my apartment.”
“Not me.”
“Who?”
Dominic looked back at Victor.
Victor answered.
“Sal.”
Luca’s fist tightened.
“Why?”
Victor looked at me.
“The locket.”
They had known.
“How?”
I asked.
Victor swallowed.
“I saw you pick it up.”
The river returned in an instant.
Cold.
Black.
Headlights beneath the surface.
“You were there.”
Victor nodded.
“On the bridge.”
“You watched me go into that water?”
“Yes.”
“You could have helped.”
Silence.
“You watched a child drown.”
“I was told not to be seen.”
Something in Luca snapped.
He hit the gate with both hands.
Sophia’s voice came through the intercom.
“Daddy?”
Everyone froze.
She had been listening.
Luca looked up at the camera.
“Sophia, go upstairs.”
“No.”
“Sophia.”
“Did Uncle Dominic hurt Mommy?”
Dominic looked at the camera.
His face changed.
Perhaps guilt.
Perhaps calculation.
“Sophia.”
She spoke through the intercom.
“You lied to me.”
“I was trying to protect—”
“No.”
The word was small.
Absolute.
“You made me think Hannah left.”
Dominic closed his mouth.
Sophia asked, “Did you hurt Mommy?”
Long silence.
Then Dominic said, “I never wanted her dead.”
Luca went still.
It was not a denial.
Victor laughed bitterly.
“There it is.”
Dominic turned.
“You were supposed to disable the car.”
“You cut both brake lines.”
“You were supposed to make her miss the meeting.”
“She drove downhill.”
“You knew the route.”
Victor shook his head.
“No.”
“You knew exactly what would happen.”
Dominic’s face changed.
“You want truth?”
He looked at Luca.
“Fine.”
“Alessandra was destroying everything your father built.”
“She wanted police involved.”
“Federal auditors.”
“She wanted you to dismantle the network.”
“So you killed her.”
“I tried to frighten her.”
“You sabotaged her car.”
“I ordered a pressure leak.”
“You ordered a mother and five-year-old child into a vehicle you knew could not stop.”
Dominic finally shouted.
“I DID NOT KNOW SOPHIA WAS WITH HER.”
Silence.
Even the rain seemed to stop.
Luca stared at him.
Dominic breathed hard.
Then spoke more quietly.
“Alessandra was supposed to be alone.”
Victor said, “That’s a lie.”
Dominic spun.
“You told me she was alone.”
“No.”
Victor wiped rain from his face.
“I told Sal the child was inside.”
Luca’s eyes moved.
“Salvatore knew?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Victor looked at him.
“He said do it anyway.”
Everything shifted.
Dominic closed his eyes.
Luca looked almost unable to comprehend the sentence.
“My uncle ordered you to continue after he knew Sophia was in the car.”
Victor nodded.
“Why?”
“Because Sophia was leverage.”
“What does that mean?”
Victor hesitated.
Then looked toward the cameras.
“He didn’t care if your daughter died.”
Dominic whispered, “Enough.”
Victor ignored him.
“Sal wanted you broken.”
“Why?”
“Because Dominic was never the one trying to take your empire.”
Luca stared.
Victor finished.
“Salvatore was.”
Before anyone could respond, headlights appeared behind them.
A black SUV accelerated toward the gate.
Victor turned.
Dominic shouted.
“Down!”
Gunfire exploded.
The outer security glass shattered.
Luca dragged me behind the concrete wall.
Dominic fell.
May you like
Victor disappeared into darkness.
And through the ringing in my ears, I heard Sophia screaming from inside the house.
