Chapter 6 - THE MAN WHO HAD EVERYTHING TO LOSESophia Vale had spent most of her life refusing to be impressed by her older brother.
When Adrian bought her a car for college, she returned it because it was “obnoxious.”
When he assigned security to her first apartment, she invited both guards inside for dinner and convinced them to tell her embarrassing stories about him.
When a magazine once called Adrian “Chicago’s Shadow King,” Sophia framed the article and gave it to him for Christmas.
She was thirty-one now, a corporate attorney, and the only person in the world who could call Adrian at three in the morning and expect him to answer.
Victor knew that.
Which was exactly why he had chosen her.
Vale Tower was surrounded by police when Adrian arrived.
Elena was beside him.
He had tried once to convince her to remain home.
She gave him a look.
He did not try twice.
A tactical commander met them behind a mobile command vehicle.
“We have fourteen civilians on thirty-eight.”
“I was told twelve.”
“Two maintenance employees were found in a service corridor.”
“Victor?”
“Confirmed visually.”
“Armed?”
“Yes.”
“Crane?”
“Also there.”
Adrian looked at the building.
The thirty-eighth floor contained Vale Capital’s executive conference rooms.
Sophia’s office was on thirty-six.
Victor had planned this.
Elena stood close enough that their shoulders touched.
“Why Sophia?”
“He knows what she means to me.”
“What does he want?”
As if answering, Adrian’s phone rang.
Victor.
The tactical commander nodded.
“Keep him talking.”
Adrian answered.
“What?”
Victor laughed softly.
“No greeting?”
“You took my sister.”
“You took my daughter.”
“Elena walked out.”
“You manipulated her.”
Elena’s jaw tightened.
Adrian replied, “Interesting definition of manipulation.”
“Send her upstairs.”
“No.”
“One simple exchange.”
“No.”
Victor’s voice darkened.
“Then Sophia dies.”
Elena grabbed Adrian’s arm.
He remained still.
“No, she doesn’t.”
“You sound confident.”
“You need her alive.”
“For now.”
“What do you actually want?”
Victor was silent.
Adrian understood.
The demand for Elena was emotional.
There was something else.
“What do you want, Victor?”
“Access.”
“To?”
“Vale International accounts.”
Adrian almost laughed.
“You took hostages to demand banking access?”
“I need twelve million dollars transferred.”
“Why twelve?”
“None of your business.”
“Your escape fund.”
Victor said nothing.
Adrian continued.
“Crane told you the federal accounts were frozen.”
Still silence.
“You’re broke.”
Elena looked at him.
Adrian smiled without humor.
“The great Victor Moretti has spent thirty years threatening everyone in Chicago, and now he can’t buy a plane ticket.”
“You have thirty minutes.”
The call ended.
Adrian turned to the commander.
“Can you get them out?”
“Eventually.”
“Eventually is not useful.”
“There are interior cameras, but Victor disabled network access.”
Adrian looked toward Dante.
“Not all of them.”
Dante nodded.
Five minutes later, a technician accessed an independent security system installed after a break-in two years earlier.
Video appeared.
Victor stood inside Conference Room A.
Sophia sat against the wall with six others.
She looked irritated rather than terrified.
Typical.
Samuel Crane paced near the windows.
He was sweating.
“Elena,” Adrian said.
She came closer.
“Who is that man?”
She pointed at someone near the door.
“Paul Rizzo. My father’s driver.”
“Loyal?”
“No.”
“How sure?”
“He hates my father.”
“Why is he there?”
“Because he owes him money.”
Adrian looked at Dante.
“Get me Rizzo’s number.”
They found it.
Adrian texted one sentence:
YOU WANT OUT? OPEN THE WEST SERVICE DOOR.
No response.
Thirty seconds passed.
Then:
MY FAMILY?
Adrian typed:
PROTECTED. YOU HAVE MY WORD.
A minute later:
5 MINUTES.
Adrian showed the tactical commander.
“You cannot independently negotiate with suspects.”
“I just did.”
The commander sighed.
“I am beginning to understand why your lawyer drinks.”
Adrian almost smiled.
The operation unfolded quickly.
Rizzo created an argument near the conference room.
Crane turned.
Victor moved toward him.
At that moment, Rizzo kicked open the west service door.
Tactical officers entered.
Chaos erupted.
No gunshots.
Sophia tackled one of Victor’s men herself.
By the time Adrian reached the floor, Victor Moretti was on his knees with his hands restrained behind him.
Samuel Crane was crying.
Sophia stood nearby with a torn sleeve.
Adrian crossed the room.
“Soph.”
She hugged him.
Hard.
“You took forever.”
He closed his eyes.
“You’re welcome.”
Then Victor laughed.
Adrian turned.
Victor was kneeling ten feet away.
For eleven years, Adrian had imagined this moment.
He had imagined rage.
Satisfaction.
Violence.
Instead, looking at the man who had allegedly ordered his father killed, Adrian felt almost nothing.
Victor seemed smaller than memory had made him.
Old.
Cornered.
Pathetic.
“You’re not going to hit me?” Victor asked.
Adrian walked closer.
Police stiffened.
Elena entered behind him.
Victor saw her.
His expression transformed.
“Elena.”
She stopped.
“You did this.”
“No.”
“You destroyed your family.”
She looked around at the hostages Victor had taken.
Then back at him.
“No, Dad.”
Her voice was calm.
“You did.”
Victor sneered.
“You think Vale loves you?”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
Elena did not react.
“You’re useful to him,” Victor said. “Just like you were useful to me.”
Adrian stepped forward.
Elena caught his sleeve.
He stopped.
She walked toward her father.
Victor smiled.
“There’s my girl.”
Elena stopped beyond his reach.
“You know what the worst part was?”
Victor frowned.
“I spent years believing you hurt me because something was wrong with me.”
His smile vanished.
“I thought maybe I was difficult.”
She took a breath.
“Ungrateful.”
Another.
“Disappointing.”
Victor looked away.
“But then I watched you with Luca. With Mom. With Adrian.”
Her voice strengthened.
“And I realized you didn’t hurt people because they failed you.”
She looked directly at him.
“You hurt people because hurting them was the only way you knew how to feel powerful.”
Victor lunged forward.
Officers grabbed him.
Elena did not move.
Adrian did.
In one second he was between them.
Victor laughed.
“There. Look at him. Your guard dog.”
Adrian’s hands curled.
Then Sophia spoke behind him.
“Adrian.”
He heard his mother’s voice in hers.
He stepped back.
Victor was hauled toward the elevators.
As he passed Adrian, he whispered, “Your father begged.”
Adrian froze.
Victor smiled.
“He knew exactly what was coming.”
Adrian moved.
Elena stepped in front of him.
Not because she believed he would hurt her.
Because she knew he would not.
“Look at me.”
His chest rose sharply.
“Elena.”
“Look at me.”
He did.
“You promised.”
Victor was disappearing into the elevator.
Adrian’s entire body shook with controlled rage.
“He killed my father.”
“I know.”
“He’s walking away.”
“No.”
She looked toward the police.
“He’s being taken away.”
“That isn’t enough.”
“Maybe not tonight.”
Her eyes held his.
“But if you kill him, he takes something else from you.”
Adrian said nothing.
“Your future.”
The elevator doors closed.
Victor disappeared.
Adrian stood motionless.
Then he lowered his head.
Elena stepped toward him.
She did not hug him.
Not yet.
She simply placed her hand in his.
Adrian held it.
Sophia watched from across the room.
Something changed in her expression.
Later, after statements were taken, the siblings stood together beside the elevators.
Sophia looked at Elena.
“So.”
Elena smiled nervously.
“So.”
“You’re my sister-in-law.”
“Technically.”
Sophia looked at Adrian.
“What does technically mean?”
Adrian sighed.
“It means mind your business.”
“That means something interesting.”
Elena laughed.
Sophia smiled.
“I like her.”
“Most people do.”
Elena looked at Adrian.
There had been no hesitation in the answer.
He seemed to realize what he had said.
Sophia definitely did.
“Oh.”
Adrian glared at her.
Sophia’s smile widened.
“Oh, this is going to be fun.”
But the fun lasted less than twelve hours.
The next morning, Benjamin arrived at Vale House carrying an envelope.
“The federal prosecutors moved quickly.”
Adrian looked up.
“Charges?”
“Victor and Crane, yes.”
“Then why do you look unhappy?”
Benjamin placed the envelope on the table.
“This was delivered to my office.”
Elena opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
A photograph of herself at nineteen.
Standing beside her grandmother.
On the back, handwritten in black ink, were six words:
VICTOR WAS NEVER THE ONLY ONE.
Elena looked at Adrian.
“What does that mean?”
Benjamin sat down.
“It means somebody else was involved.”
“With the trust?”
“Maybe.”
He removed another paper.
“And somebody made a withdrawal last night from an account connected to your grandmother’s estate.”
“How much?”
“Forty-eight million dollars.”
Adrian stared at him.
“Victor was in police custody.”
“Exactly.”
Elena’s stomach dropped.
There was another enemy.
One who had remained invisible while Victor took the blame.
And according to Benjamin, the money had been transferred using authorization from the only other trustee listed on her grandmother’s original estate.
Elena looked at the name.
Then stopped breathing.
May you like
Celeste Moretti.
Her mother.
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