Chapter 4 - THE FATHER WHO REFUSED TO STAY DEAD
Dominic Moretti was waiting in a conference room forty floors above the Chicago River.
I knew that because Alexander told me.
He did not ask me to come.
He asked me not to.
“I can speak to him first.”
We stood inside Sofia's apartment entryway.
I had changed into jeans, a black sweater, and the new sneakers Alexander bought me.
I had also spent twenty minutes arguing with him.
Progress looked strange sometimes.
“He asked for me by name.”
“Yes.”
“That makes it my problem too.”
“No.”
My anger rose.
Alexander corrected himself.
“It makes it partly your problem.”
“Better.”
“Emily.”
“You said I decide.”
“I said you decide what happens to you.”
“Exactly.”
“My father is dangerous.”
“So is my husband.”
His expression hardened at the word husband.
I noticed.
Did not examine why.
Alexander looked toward the window.
“Dominic manipulated people for most of his life.”
“Then I have experience.”
That stopped him.
Derek had trained me to notice traps.
The skill belonged to me now.
Not him.
Alexander exhaled.
“You stay beside me.”
“I'm not promising that.”
His jaw tightened.
“I am asking.”
Different.
I considered.
“I'll try.”
“That is not reassuring.”
“It is honest.”
Twenty-five minutes later, we entered Moretti Tower through an underground garage.
No public lobby.
No elevators shared with strangers.
Luca walked ahead.
Sofia came too.
Alexander objected.
She ignored him.
Apparently this family communicated through selective disobedience.
The conference room doors opened.
Dominic Moretti sat alone.
I had seen old photographs online during the drive.
In them, he had been heavyset, black-haired, broad through the shoulders.
The man in front of me had lost weight.
White hair.
Cane resting beside his chair.
Skin pale.
But his eyes were Alexander's.
Or Alexander's were his.
Cold blue-gray.
Measuring.
He looked at his children first.
Sofia stopped breathing.
Alexander did not.
“Hello, Father.”
Dominic smiled faintly.
“You got older.”
Sofia laughed once.
“You got dead.”
Dominic's smile disappeared.
Fair.
Alexander pulled out a chair for me.
I sat because I chose to.
Not because he did it.
Dominic's gaze settled on me.
“Emily Carter.”
“That's my name.”
“You look like Daniel.”
I hated him immediately.
Not because of what he said.
Because he said it like he had the right.
“You knew my brother?”
“Yes.”
“How well?”
“He stole from me.”
Alexander's voice sharpened.
“Careful.”
Dominic looked at him.
“I am being factual.”
I leaned forward.
“What did he steal?”
“A copy of my financial archive.”
“The drive?”
“Yes.”
“You killed him for it?”
Sofia inhaled.
Alexander went very still.
Dominic looked at me.
“No.”
“Did you order someone to follow him?”
“Yes.”
“Victor Sloane.”
“Yes.”
“Did Victor kill him?”
“No.”
“How do you know?”
Dominic's face hardened.
“Because I ordered Daniel brought to me alive.”
My stomach turned.
“That is not the defense you think it is.”
Something like respect flickered in his eyes.
I hated that too.
“What happened?”
Dominic looked at Alexander.
“Daniel discovered payments moving through Lakefront.”
“We know.”
“No.”
Dominic tapped one finger against the table.
“You know the payments went to Victor.”
Alexander's expression changed.
“They did not stop there.”
“To whom?”
Dominic looked at me.
“Derek Carter.”
My whole body went cold.
“No.”
“Your husband received his first payment four years and three months ago.”
“Before Daniel died.”
“Yes.”
I stared.
“What for?”
“Surveillance.”
My throat closed.
“Of Daniel?”
“Yes.”
“And me?”
Dominic did not answer quickly enough.
Alexander stood.
The chair moved sharply behind him.
“Answer her.”
Dominic's eyes moved to his son.
“Yes.”
I stopped breathing.
Derek watched me before we dated.
Before he bought me coffee at the hospital cafeteria.
Before he sent flowers to Daniel's funeral.
Before he told me I was not alone.
He had been paid.
My marriage did not begin with love that became abuse.
It began with assignment.
I stood so quickly the room tilted.
Alexander moved toward me.
Stopped before touching.
“Emily.”
“I need air.”
“There is a balcony lounge outside.”
I left.
No one tried to stop me.
That mattered.
The hallway windows overlooked the river.
I pressed both hands against the glass.
Everything Derek had ever done became contaminated.
Our first date.
Our wedding.
The little apartment he said we chose together.
The time he encouraged me to quit my job because I looked tired.
Control had not grown accidentally.
It had been the purpose.
A door opened behind me.
Sofia.
Not Alexander.
I was grateful.
She stood beside me.
“Want me to say something comforting?”
“No.”
“Good. I'm bad at it.”
I laughed unexpectedly.
Then cried.
“I was stupid.”
“No.”
“I married him.”
“You married who he presented.”
“I ignored things.”
“Everyone ignores things when they don't know what pattern they're part of.”
I wiped my face.
“He knew Daniel was dead because of whatever they were doing, and he still stood beside me at the funeral.”
Sofia's expression hardened.
“Yes.”
“I want to go back in.”
“Okay.”
No warning.
No are-you-sure.
We returned.
Alexander stood exactly where I left him.
Dominic had not moved.
I sat.
“Keep talking.”
Dominic nodded.
“Derek's assignment was simple. Stay close. Find out whether Daniel gave you the archive.”
“He married me.”
“That was not ordered.”
I looked at him.
“He escalated.”
“Apparently.”
“Apparently?”
Alexander's voice turned lethal.
Dominic ignored him.
I said, “You knew Derek stayed with me after Daniel died?”
“I knew he maintained contact.”
“And you did nothing.”
Dominic looked at me.
“I had larger concerns.”
The sentence emptied something inside me.
There it was.
The language of men like him.
Larger concerns.
People became acceptable losses when the numbers were big enough.
Alexander's voice went quiet.
“She was not a concern to you because you did not know her.”
Dominic looked at his son.
“Correct.”
“And now?”
Dominic's gaze returned to me.
“Now she has the drive.”
“I don't.”
“He believes you do.”
“That is different.”
“Yes.”
Alexander leaned forward.
“Why fake your death?”
Dominic's face finally changed.
Tired.
Almost human.
“Because Victor tried to kill Sofia.”
Sofia froze.
“What?”
Alexander went still.
Dominic continued.
“Eight years ago, Victor learned I intended to cut him out of our security operations. He planted an explosive beneath Sofia's car.”
Sofia stared.
“You told me the electrical fire was an accident.”
“It was intercepted before detonation.”
“You lied.”
“Yes.”
“Then you faked your death.”
“To draw his attention away from both of you.”
Alexander's laugh held no humor.
“You disappeared and left me running everything with no explanation.”
“You were capable.”
“I was twenty-nine.”
“You were capable.”
Sofia's eyes filled with anger.
“You let us bury you.”
Dominic looked down.
“For that, I am sorry.”
Alexander did not soften.
“Why return now?”
“Because Sloane found Daniel's archive.”
I frowned.
“He doesn't have the drive.”
“He has half of what he needs.”
“What is on it?”
Dominic looked at me.
“The Calder Archive.”
“Which is?”
“A record of every payment I authorized to protect Moretti operations during my final ten years in Chicago.”
“Bribes.”
“Yes.”
“Violence.”
“Yes.”
“Murder?”
Silence.
I felt sick.
Dominic answered.
“Some entries correspond to deaths.”
Alexander looked away.
He knew.
Maybe not details.
But enough.
Dominic continued.
“Daniel copied the archive because one set of transactions did not belong.”
“Victor's.”
“Yes. Sloane had inserted false authorizations under my name.”
Alexander said, “Like Lakefront.”
“Exactly.”
I thought of Derek.
“So Victor needed Daniel stopped.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did Daniel die?”
Dominic leaned back.
“That is what I need the drive to prove.”
Alexander's jaw tightened.
“You said Victor didn't kill him.”
“Not directly.”
“What does that mean?”
Dominic looked at me.
“Daniel was pushed from the parking structure.”
The room disappeared.
I gripped the table.
“Who pushed him?”
Dominic's next words barely sounded real.
“Derek.”
I stopped breathing.
“No.”
“I have a witness.”
“No.”
“Emily—”
“No.”
I stood.
Alexander moved but did not touch me.
I looked at Dominic.
“You are lying.”
“I wish I were.”
“Why would Derek—”
“Daniel recognized him.”
My throat closed.
“From surveillance.”
“Yes.”
Dominic continued.
“Daniel confronted Derek in the garage. Derek panicked.”
I heard my brother's laugh.
Saw him carrying pizza into my apartment.
Saw his face at my engagement dinner.
Derek proposed six months after Daniel died.
He had held my hand while I cried.
He had said Daniel would want me happy.
I bent forward.
The air vanished.
Alexander's voice came quietly.
“Emily. Look at me.”
I couldn't.
“Look at the window.”
I did.
“Five things you can see.”
I stared.
“What?”
“Five things.”
The technique.
Grounding.
How did he know?
“River.”
“Good.”
“Blue building.”
“Good.”
“Clouds.”
“Two more.”
“Chair. Sofia's red scarf.”
“Four things you can feel.”
I swallowed.
“Floor.”
“Good.”
“Sweater.”
“Keep going.”
“Cold hands.”
“Chair edge.”
My breathing slowed.
Alexander remained three feet away.
No touch.
No crowding.
I looked at him.
“Thank you.”
He nodded.
Dominic watched us.
Something unreadable passed over his face.
I sat again.
“Where is the witness?”
Dominic answered.
“Alive.”
“Who?”
“A parking attendant named Samuel Price.”
“Police interviewed him.”
“They interviewed a man using his name.”
Alexander frowned.
Dominic continued.
“The real Price disappeared two days after Daniel died. I moved him.”
“You hid a witness.”
“To keep Sloane from killing him.”
“Where?”
“Wisconsin.”
My anger sharpened.
“You let me believe suicide for four years while you protected your evidence.”
Dominic's face tightened.
“Yes.”
I wanted to hit him.
Alexander seemed to see it.
He did not stop me.
I did not do it.
That choice mattered too.
“Bring him here.”
Dominic nodded.
“I can.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“No. Today.”
“Emily—”
“No.”
My voice stayed steady.
“You don't get to tell me to wait after four years.”
Dominic looked at Alexander.
Alexander said, “You heard her.”
Dominic's mouth tightened.
“Three hours.”
“Two.”
Sofia smiled faintly.
Dominic looked irritated.
Good.
Then Luca's phone buzzed.
He checked it.
“Boss.”
Alexander turned.
“What?”
“Derek called the office line.”
I went cold.
“Why?”
“He says he wants to trade Daniel's box.”
“For the drive?”
“No.”
Luca looked at me.
“For Emily.”
Alexander's expression became ice.
I laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
Because Derek still did not understand.
He thought I was an object people exchanged.
A wife.
A key.
A bargaining chip.
Alexander looked at me.
“What do you want to do?”
May you like
For the first time, the answer came easily.
“I want him to learn I'm not for trade.”
