Chapter 6 - The Lawyer With the Kind Eyes
David didn't look evil.
That almost made it worse.
His suit was damp from rain.
His tie was crooked.
His face looked tired.
He pointed the gun directly at Aleandro.
"I'm sorry, Emma."
My chest tightened.
"Put it down."
"I can't."
"You can."
He shook his head.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain."
David looked at the flash drive.
"I need that."
"Why?"
"Because my sister is dead."
I froze.
He swallowed.
"She worked for the DeLuca organization."
"I didn't know."
"Of course you didn't."
His voice cracked.
"She tried to leave."
Rafael killed her.
David had been forced into working for him.
Every client.
Every case.
Every conversation.
All of it had been part of the operation.
But David's eyes told me something else.
He hadn't expected to care about me.
"You weren't supposed to like me," I whispered.
He smiled sadly.
"I know."
Aleandro watched him.
"Put the gun down."
David laughed.
"You think you can order me?"
"No."
Aleandro's voice became quiet.
"I think you don't want to hurt her."
David's hand trembled.
He looked at me.
"I don't."
"Then help us."
A gunshot exploded.
The window shattered.
David fell.
I screamed.
Aleandro pulled me behind the wall.
Vincent returned fire.
Marco rushed to David.
He was alive.
Blood spread across his shoulder.
"Who shot him?" I asked.
Vincent looked toward the roof.
"Sniper."
Aleandro's expression hardened.
"Rafael."
The building erupted into chaos.
We escaped through the service elevator.
David was carried between Marco and Vincent.
Once inside the underground garage, Aleandro turned to him.
"Why did Rafael want the ledger?"
David coughed.
"Because it names him."
"That's not enough."
David looked at me.
"Because the final account leads to a government laundering operation."
My stomach dropped.
"How deep?"
"Deep enough that Rafael has protection."
Aleandro's gaze became cold.
"So he thinks he can kill anyone."
"Yes."
David looked at me.
"He needs you because you remember the passphrase."
I nodded.
"Little Blue."
David's eyes widened.
"That's it."
Aleandro looked at me.
"What?"
"The account isn't called Little Blue."
David swallowed.
"It's a person."
Silence.
"Who?"
David looked afraid.
"Your mother."
Sofia.
I remembered the documents.
The account had been opened using an alias.
Little Blue.
Aleandro stared.
His father had hidden money in an account controlled by Sofia.
Which meant the ledger was never the true prize.
The money trail was.
And Antonio wanted it because it could expose everything.
"Where is your father?" Aleandro asked.
David shook his head.
"Not in New York."
"Where?"
"Rafael moved him."
"To?"
"Canada."
We drove through the night.
David insisted on coming.
Aleandro hated it.
I wasn't thrilled either.
But David knew the network.
He knew Rafael's people.
And more importantly, he knew where Rafael kept his safe houses.
During the drive, I sat beside Aleandro.
Our hands rested inches apart.
Neither of us touched.
Finally he said, "Are you afraid?"
"Yes."
"So am I."
I looked at him.
"I thought you weren't afraid of anything."
"I was afraid of losing you."
I stared out the window.
"Don't say things like that."
"Why?"
"Because I might believe you."
He was quiet.
Then he whispered, "You should."
My eyes burned.
We stopped at a safe house near the border.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
I went downstairs.
Aleandro was in the kitchen.
He looked up.
"You should rest."
"So should you."
He smiled faintly.
"I've never been good at obeying orders."
I sat beside him.
"Do you regret us?"
He didn't hesitate.
"No."
"I do sometimes."
His smile disappeared.
"That's honest."
"I regret what we became."
"I do too."
He took a breath.
"I loved you badly."
I looked at him.
"That's the most honest thing you've ever said."
"I want the chance to love you better."
My heart broke open.
Before I could answer, we heard a car outside.
Vincent burst into the room.
"Move."
"Why?"
"Rafael found us."
May you like
The lights went out.
And someone started shooting.
