Chapter 10 - The Man at My Table
At 11:58 p.m., every light in the mansion was on.
Security was doubled.
Snipers occupied nearby rooftops.
Marco had men inside every corridor.
The ledger sat in my study.
Empty.
The real ledger was hidden.
The fake one was waiting.
At midnight, the front door opened.
No guards reacted.
Because I had ordered them not to.
Viktor Kolov entered alone.
Gray suit.
Black gloves.
No weapon visible.
His smile was small.
“You’ve become dramatic.”
“You’ve become old.”
He chuckled.
“And yet here we are.”
He looked around the room.
“This house has changed.”
“People die.”
“Buildings remember.”
He looked at the desk.
“The ledger.”
I placed it in front of him.
He opened it.
Flipped through the pages.
Stopped.
“You changed the handwriting.”
“So did you.”
He smiled.
“You always were your father’s son.”
“Where is Lucia?”
“Safe.”
“Bring her.”
“No.”
I stared at him.
“You walked into my house.”
“You invited me.”
“I can still bury you here.”
Kolov leaned closer.
“You could.”
He smiled.
“But then you would never know who your real enemy is.”
I said nothing.
He closed the ledger.
“You believe this is about me.”
“It is.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“This is about Carlo.”
I watched his face carefully.
He noticed.
“You didn’t know.”
“Where is he?”
Kolov laughed.
“Closer.”
The mansion doors slammed shut.
Marco’s men reached for their weapons.
Kolov raised one finger.
“Listen.”
Footsteps echoed from the upper floor.
Slow.
Measured.
Someone descended the staircase.
A man appeared.
Older.
Thinner.
Silver hair.
A scar across his cheek.
Lucia stepped behind him.
She looked terrified.
“Dominic…”
I stared at the man.
There was no question.
Carlo Castellano.
My uncle.
Alive.
He smiled.
“You look exactly like your father.”
I raised my weapon.
“You were dead.”
“I needed you to believe that.”
“Why?”
“Because your father was wrong.”
“About what?”
Carlo walked into the room.
“About trusting me.”
Kolov smiled behind him.
I looked between them.
“So you worked together.”
Carlo laughed.
“Worked together?”
He shook his head.
“Viktor was my employee.”
Kolov’s smile disappeared.
That was the first time I saw fear in his eyes.
Carlo turned toward him.
“You were always useful.”
Kolov reached for his weapon.
Carlo fired first.
One shot.
Kolov collapsed.
Silence.
I stared at my uncle.
“You killed your ally.”
Carlo looked at me.
“Viktor was never my ally.”
“Then what is this?”
He pointed at the ledger.
“Your father stole something from me.”
“What?”
“The future.”
I didn’t understand.
Carlo stepped closer.
Then he whispered:
“Emma.”
My blood went cold.
“What did you do to her?”
He smiled.
“Nothing.”
“Then where is she?”
He looked toward the hallway.
“She has already been taken.”
My heart stopped.
I turned.
The guards were gone.
The mansion doors were open.
May you like
And Emma’s hospital room camera suddenly appeared on the television.
The bed was empty.
