Chapter 2 - THE BROTHER’S DEBTAt 8:00 the next morning, Tessa was standing outside Victor's study.
She had barely slept.
She had spent the entire night replaying the previous evening in her mind.
The gun.
His arm around her waist.
The way he had looked at her.
And the terrifying moment he had said Liam's name.
The study doors opened.
Paulie stood inside.
“Come in.”
Tessa entered.
Victor sat behind his desk.
He wore a black shirt today.
No tie.
His injured shoulder was wrapped beneath the fabric.
A doctor had clearly treated him.
His expression was unreadable.
Tessa stopped several feet away.
“You asked for me.”
Victor closed the folder in front of him.
“How much does Liam owe?”
She hesitated.
“Two hundred and eighty thousand.”
Paulie's expression did not change.
Victor leaned back.
“You've paid seventeen thousand.”
Tessa's lips parted.
“How do you know?”
“I know everything that happens under my roof.”
“You're keeping records?”
“I keep records of everyone who owes me.”
Tessa's hands curled into fists.
“I've been paying.”
“You're making barely enough to survive.”
“I'll finish.”
“When?”
“I don't know.”
Victor stared at her.
“You won't.”
Her heart sank.
“What are you saying?”
“Your brother's debt isn't the problem.”
Tessa frowned.
“What?”
Victor pushed the folder toward her.
“He owes more than you know.”
She opened it.
Bank transfers.
Casino receipts.
Photographs.
Names.
Dates.
Her stomach turned.
Liam had been telling her he owed only two hundred and eighty thousand.
According to Victor's records, the amount was closer to six hundred thousand.
“No.”
Tessa shook her head.
“He said—”
“Your brother lied.”
She stared at the pages.
“Why?”
“Because desperate men lie.”
“He's my brother.”
“That doesn't make him honest.”
Tessa slammed the folder shut.
“You want what? Another year of my life?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
Victor was silent.
“I want you to work directly for me.”
Paulie shifted slightly.
Tessa stared at him.
“Doing what?”
“You'll stay out of general housekeeping.”
“That means?”
“You'll work in this wing.”
“With you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Victor's eyes settled on hers.
“Because I think someone is using your brother.”
Tessa felt cold.
“Using him for what?”
“I don't know yet.”
Victor stood.
He walked around the desk slowly.
He stopped directly in front of her.
“You're going to tell me everything Liam has said to you.”
“I don't know anything.”
“Then you'll start remembering.”
“I already told you everything.”
Victor leaned closer.
“Your brother disappeared last night.”
Tessa's breath caught.
“What?”
“He was supposed to collect money from a bookmaker in Queens.”
Victor's voice remained calm.
“He never arrived.”
Tessa immediately pulled out her phone.
Three missed calls.
All from Liam.
The last one had been at 2:17 a.m.
There was a voicemail.
Her fingers trembled as she played it.
Static.
Heavy breathing.
Then Liam's voice.
“Tess... don't trust Romano.”
The message ended.
Tessa stared at Victor.
He stared back.
“I didn't know he called.”
Victor held out his hand.
She hesitated.
“Give me the phone.”
“Why?”
“Because your brother may still be alive.”
Tessa handed it over.
Victor replayed the message.
His expression changed.
He heard something beneath Liam's voice.
A faint metallic sound.
Three clicks.
Victor knew that sound.
A gun being loaded.
He replayed it.
Again.
Then again.
His eyes became colder.
“What?”
Tessa whispered.
Victor looked at her.
“Your brother wasn't calling from a casino.”
“Where was he?”
Victor's jaw tightened.
“Somewhere controlled by my enemy.”
“Who?”
Victor did not answer.
Instead, the study doors suddenly opened.
One of his guards rushed inside.
“Boss.”
Victor turned.
“What?”
The guard's face was pale.
“We found Liam Moore.”
Tessa took one step forward.
“Where?”
The guard looked at Victor.
Then at Tessa.
“He was found outside the east gate.”
Victor's expression hardened.
“Alive?”
The guard swallowed.
“No.”
Tessa stopped breathing.
The guard continued.
“His body was left in a black van.”
Victor's eyes narrowed.
“There was a message.”
“What message?”
The guard looked toward Tessa.
Then he said quietly:
“Three lines inside a circle.”
The same symbol.
The one on Victor's shirt.
The one carved beside his father's corpse fourteen years ago.
May you like
Victor turned toward Tessa.
And for the first time since she entered the Romano estate, something in his face looked almost like fear.
