Chapter 7 - The Signature That Destroyed His Alibi|
Dominic had faced armed rivals, courtroom investigations, and men who would have celebrated his death.
None of them frightened him as much as the expression on Emma Carter's face.
She wasn't screaming.
She wasn't threatening him.
She was simply waiting for the truth.
And Dominic had spent too many years surrounded by people who never demanded that from him.
"It was a corporate authorization," he said.
Emma crossed her arms.
"For what?"
"A payment to a construction subsidiary."
"How much?"
"Four million dollars."
Emma stared at him.
She couldn't imagine having four million dollars.
She had once spent an entire afternoon searching under her sofa cushions for enough change to buy Lily medicine.
"Four million dollars," she repeated.
Dominic nodded.
"And you didn't notice anything unusual?"
"The company handled dozens of transactions."
"That's not an answer."
He looked down.
"No."
"Did you know the money was connected to Hawthorne Court?"
"I knew it involved a redevelopment project."
"And you signed anyway?"
"Yes."
Emma stepped back.
The worst part wasn't that Dominic had signed a document.
It was that he seemed accustomed to dealing with enormous sums without thinking about the lives behind them.
"You told me you didn't know anything about that fire."
"I didn't know it was deliberately set."
"But you knew the development was controversial."
Dominic didn't answer quickly enough.
Emma shook her head.
"You did."
"I knew there had been accusations about how the property was acquired."
"And you never investigated?"
"I allowed my uncle to handle it."
"Because you trusted him?"
Dominic's jaw tightened.
"Because it was easier."
The admission hung between them.
Emma looked toward Lily's bedroom.
Her daughter was asleep with the wooden music box beside her pillow.
Nicholas had apparently risked his life to expose something his own brother had refused to examine.
The contrast was painful.
"Do you understand why I can't trust you?" she asked.
Dominic nodded.
"Yes."
"Your brother was trying to stop people from being hurt."
"I know."
"And you kept signing checks."
He accepted the words without defending himself.
Finally, he stood.
"Then I need to do something about it."
Emma laughed bitterly.
"Like what?"
"Turn over my records."
"You mean the records that could incriminate you?"
"Yes."
She stared at him.
"Would you really do that?"
"I should have done it years ago."
Emma wanted to believe him.
But believing men had once cost her almost everything.
"Then don't tell me what you're going to do."
She opened the apartment door.
"Do it."
Dominic left without arguing.
The following morning, he met with his criminal defense attorney.
He requested an independent review of the companies under his control and instructed his lawyers to preserve the relevant business records.
Then, through counsel, he contacted Agent Ruiz.
He offered access to documents that investigators had been trying to obtain for months.
Ruiz made no promises about immunity.
Dominic asked for none.
His attorney warned him that cooperation could expose him to prosecution.
Dominic listened.
Then he signed the necessary authorizations.
By noon, Enzo Salvatore knew something had changed.
The older man summoned his nephew to the family estate outside Chicago.
Dominic arrived alone except for a driver who remained outside.
Enzo greeted him in a study lined with antique books.
At sixty-three, Enzo still carried himself with the confidence of a man who believed consequences were for other people.
"Dominic, my boy."
He extended his arms.
Dominic didn't embrace him.
"Tell me about Hawthorne Court."
Enzo's smile faded.
"That's an old matter."
"Four people died."
"People die every day."
Dominic felt something inside him turn cold.
"Did you order that building cleared by force?"
Enzo poured himself a drink.
"I made decisions for the family."
"Did you know the residents were still inside?"
His uncle set down the bottle.
"Careful."
"Where is Nico?"
Enzo turned slowly.
"Nico is dead."
"Who killed him?"
For the first time, Enzo looked genuinely irritated.
"Your brother betrayed us."
"That's what you told me."
"And it's the truth."
"Then why did he leave evidence naming you?"
Enzo studied his nephew.
After a long silence, he smiled.
"So the waitress found his little treasure."
Dominic felt his stomach twist.
Enzo had never been told about the music box.
He had never been told about locker B-17.
Yet he knew Nicholas had hidden something.
"How long have you known about Emma?"
Enzo's expression hardened.
"Long enough."
"And Lily?"
His uncle took a slow sip of whiskey.
"Children complicate things."
Dominic stepped closer.
"Don't go near them."
Enzo laughed.
"Listen to yourself."
"That wasn't a request."
"You've become sentimental because a pretty waitress dragged you out of a burning car."
Dominic said nothing.
Enzo leaned toward him.
"Do you know what your father would have done if he discovered his son had betrayed the family?"
Dominic's fists tightened.
"Tell me."
"He would have protected what we built."
"By murdering his own child?"
Enzo's silence was enough to make Dominic understand that the answer frightened him.
Then his uncle spoke again.
"Your brother thought he could save everyone."
He smiled without warmth.
"Look how that ended."
Dominic wanted to strike him.
For one awful second, he imagined doing much worse.
But he remembered Lily sitting at the table, instructing him to draw badly.
He remembered Emma telling him to bring evidence to the police.
And he remembered Nicholas's letter.
He doesn't know everything his family has done.
Dominic stepped away.
"I'm not doing this your way anymore."
Enzo's smile vanished.
"Then you won't remain head of this family."
"Maybe I shouldn't."
Dominic turned toward the door.
His uncle called after him.
"You think the government will make you a hero?"
Dominic stopped.
"No."
He looked back.
"I think they'll finally make us answer for what we've done."
That evening, Emma received a message from Dominic.
He had preserved and turned over records through his attorney.
He had also formally separated Enzo from several company accounts while independent legal procedures began.
Emma read the message twice.
Then she typed a reply.
Thank you for doing the right thing.
It doesn't erase the wrong things.
Dominic answered almost immediately.
I know.
Emma set down her phone.
A moment later, Mrs. Peterson called from her own apartment.
Her voice was trembling.
"Emma, sweetheart, I think someone has been inside my home."
Emma stood.
"What happened?"
"Nothing is missing."
"Then why do you think someone entered?"
Mrs. Peterson took a shaky breath.
"Because there's a photograph on my kitchen table."
Emma's pulse quickened.
"What photograph?"
"It's Lily."
For a moment, Emma couldn't speak.
Then the elderly woman began crying.
"Someone wrote something on the back."
Emma closed her eyes.
"Read it to me."
May you like
Mrs. Peterson whispered the words.
"Tell her mother that Uncle Enzo wants to meet his little niece."
