Chapter 11 - The Last Lie Graham Pike Ever Told|
The warehouse stood at the edge of an abandoned industrial district, surrounded by rusting fences and empty loading docks.
Rainwater collected in potholes along the access road.
A broken security light swung above the main entrance.
Dominic parked his car beneath the weak glow of a streetlamp.
He wore a dark jacket instead of his usual expensive suit.
There were no armed bodyguards beside him.
But he was not alone.
Detective Cole and a team of investigators were positioned nearby.
Dominic had agreed to a monitored meeting, following a plan established with investigators and his attorney.
The recording equipment concealed beneath his jacket would preserve their conversation.
He had been instructed not to provoke Graham or attempt an arrest himself.
For once, Dominic was following somebody else's directions.
He entered the warehouse through a partially open side door.
The air smelled of dust, old machinery, and damp concrete.
A figure stood beside a stack of wooden pallets.
Graham Pike.
"You actually came," Graham said.
Dominic stopped several feet away.
"You asked for me."
Graham gave a thin smile.
"I thought you'd bring half of Chicago."
"I came to hear what you have to say."
"That's new."
Dominic studied the man who had been part of his life for twelve years.
Graham looked exhausted.
Dark circles marked his eyes.
His normally perfect haircut had become disheveled, and his jacket hung open over a wrinkled shirt.
"You've been busy," Graham said.
"Cooperating with investigators?"
"Destroying your father's legacy."
Dominic said nothing.
Graham laughed bitterly.
"Your father understood how this city worked."
"He understood that keeping people loyal sometimes meant making unpleasant decisions."
"Did he teach you to steal from medical clinics?"
Graham's smile disappeared.
"You think those clinics matter to men like Moretti?"
"They matter to the people who need them."
Graham shook his head.
"Fiona really got to you."
Dominic felt his hands tighten.
But he kept his voice steady.
"Tell me about her."
Graham moved toward an old metal desk.
"Five years ago, you told me to make sure she was safe."
"I told you to stop the surveillance after one month."
"And I knew that was a mistake."
"So you continued watching her?"
"Sometimes."
"Why?"
Graham shrugged.
"Because Lorenzo wanted to know where she was."
Dominic's stomach tightened.
"How long have you been working for him?"
"Long enough to know he pays better for useful information than you ever did for loyalty."
Dominic stared at him.
"Did you intercept Fiona's letters?"
Graham looked almost amused.
"Three of them."
"Why?"
"Because if you found out she was pregnant, you'd go running after her."
"And then Lorenzo would have a new way to control you."
Dominic's face hardened.
"You took my daughter away from me."
Graham shook his head.
"No, Dominic."
"You sent Fiona away."
"I just made sure she stayed gone."
The words were cruel because part of them was true.
Dominic had created the separation.
Graham had exploited it.
Neither fact excused the other.
"Why did you visit her in Detroit?" Dominic asked.
"She started asking questions about the medical invoices."
"And June?"
Graham looked away.
"The kid was an inconvenience."
Dominic took one involuntary step forward.
Then he stopped himself.
"An inconvenience?"
"Fiona was easier to frighten when she believed you wanted nothing to do with either of them."
Dominic felt rage flooding through him.
He pictured Fiona alone in her apartment, holding their daughter while a man claiming to speak for him threatened everything she loved.
But he forced himself to remain still.
"Did Lorenzo order the collision?"
Graham's expression changed.
"You shouldn't ask questions you can't afford the answers to."
"Tell me."
Graham glanced toward the door.
"Lorenzo wanted the documents."
"He thought Fiona would hand them over if we scared her."
"And when she didn't?"
"The driver was supposed to force her off the road."
Dominic went cold.
"You knew."
Graham said nothing.
"You knew somebody was going to attack her."
"I didn't order them to put her in a coma."
Dominic stared at him in disbelief.
"That is supposed to make it better?"
Graham slammed his palm against the desk.
"Don't pretend you're innocent!"
"You signed the contracts."
"You ignored Vincent."
"You let the money move because it kept your business growing."
Dominic absorbed every word.
"You're right about one thing," he said quietly.
Graham narrowed his eyes.
"I ignored the warnings."
"And I'm going to answer for that."
He paused.
"But so are you."
Graham's gaze dropped toward Dominic's jacket.
For the first time, suspicion appeared in his eyes.
"Who are you talking to?"
Dominic didn't move.
Graham took a step backward.
"You brought the police."
"Yes."
"You son of a—"
Before he could finish, officers entered through the side door.
Detective Cole identified herself and ordered Graham to keep his hands visible.
Graham hesitated, then raised them.
Within seconds, he was in handcuffs.
As Cole led him away, Graham turned toward Dominic.
"You think Fiona will take you back because you did this?"
Dominic looked at him.
"No."
"Then what was the point?"
Dominic's voice remained steady.
"She deserved the truth."
Graham opened his mouth, but Cole guided him through the doorway before he could answer.
By the next morning, investigators had moved against several companies involved in the fraud.
The evidence obtained from Graham's records, Vincent's documents, Fiona's accounting work, and the warehouse searches supported further charges.
Lorenzo Moretti was arrested while attempting to leave a property outside Chicago.
The news spread quickly.
Television reporters gathered outside the courthouse.
Headlines described fraud, organized crime, and a growing investigation into companies connected to the Russo family.
Dominic watched the coverage from an empty conference room.
For years, the city had known his name as a symbol of power.
Now that same name appeared beside allegations that might destroy everything he owned.
He did not call anyone to silence the reporters.
He did not threaten former associates who began distancing themselves from him.
Instead, he went to the hospital.
Fiona was sitting beside the window when he arrived.
She had begun short assisted walks with the rehabilitation team and was finally strong enough to spend part of the day outside bed.
"They arrested him," Dominic said.
"I heard."
"And Moretti."
Fiona closed her eyes briefly.
"Good."
Dominic sat in the chair across from her.
"Graham admitted he intercepted your letters."
"I know."
"He said he was trying to keep us apart."
Fiona looked toward him.
"Dominic, he succeeded because you had already walked away."
Dominic lowered his head.
"Yes."
She studied his face.
"Are you going to be charged?"
"Probably."
"Are you afraid?"
He looked at her.
"Yes."
Fiona seemed surprised by the honesty.
Dominic continued.
"But I'm more afraid of becoming the man who thinks he can escape every consequence."
For a long time, neither spoke.
Then Fiona reached toward the small table beside her chair.
She picked up a photograph of June and held it out to him.
"She asked about you this morning."
Dominic accepted the photograph.
"What did she say?"
"She wanted to know whether you liked blueberry pancakes."
He smiled faintly.
"I do."
"Good."
Fiona looked back toward the window.
"Because she says if you're really her father, you should know how to make them."
Dominic laughed softly.
It was the first genuine laugh he had managed in days.
Then Fiona turned toward him again.
"I don't know what happens to us," she said.
"Neither do I."
"But if you want to be part of June's life, keep telling the truth."
Dominic nodded.
"Even when it costs me everything."
May you like
Fiona studied him.
"Especially then."
