Chapter 13 - THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT|
By seven that evening, the protected apartment felt smaller than ever.
Two security officers stood outside.
Mateo had checked every entrance.
Maya had instructed everyone to keep their phones charged and avoid unnecessary travel.
Federal investigators were moving to secure the archive on Halsted Street.
And somewhere in Chicago, Silas Voss knew that the people he had frightened for years were finally speaking against him.
I sat on the living room floor beside Benjamin.
He was building a house from wooden blocks.
Luca sat across from us.
His phone remained on the table.
Every time it vibrated, Benjamin looked toward him.
Finally, the boy put down a block.
"Daddy?"
"Yes, buddy?"
"Are you going to fight the bad man?"
Luca paused.
"No."
Benjamin looked confused.
"Why not?"
"Because fighting him myself could make everything worse."
"But you're not scared of anybody."
Luca looked at his son.
"That's not true."
Benjamin frowned.
"What are you scared of?"
Luca reached across the blocks and took his hand.
"Making another mistake that hurts someone I love."
The little boy thought about that.
Then he pushed a wooden block toward his father.
"Then stay here and help me build our house."
Luca smiled.
"That sounds like a good idea."
For nearly an hour, we built towers, windows, and a crooked garage.
Benjamin laughed when his father accidentally knocked down the roof.
It was the first completely ordinary sound I had heard from him in days.
And I wanted that laughter to last forever.
At eight forty-three, the lights went out.
Everything disappeared into darkness.
Benjamin screamed.
"Daddy!"
Luca immediately pulled him close.
"I'm right here."
I reached for my phone.
The screen lit up the room.
Outside, the courtyard was dark.
A moment later, emergency lighting flickered in the hallway.
Mateo called.
"Boss, we've got a power failure."
"Is it isolated?"
"Still checking."
"Nobody enters this apartment without verification."
"Understood."
Benjamin began trembling.
"Is it the bad man?"
Luca held him.
"We don't know what caused it."
He looked at me.
"Claire, stay beside him."
"I will."
A loud knock sounded at the apartment door.
We all froze.
A man's voice came from the hallway.
"Building maintenance!"
Luca did not move.
The man knocked again.
"Emergency inspection!"
Mateo's voice came through Luca's phone.
"Boss, don't open the door."
Luca's expression hardened.
"What's happening?"
"There's someone claiming to work for building maintenance."
"Have you verified him?"
"No."
The man knocked a third time.
"Everyone needs to evacuate!"
Benjamin buried his face against his father's chest.
Luca spoke calmly into the phone.
"Mateo, contact the building manager and the officers outside."
A minute passed.
Then another.
Finally, Mateo answered.
"That man doesn't work here."
My blood ran cold.
"Where is he?"
"Security has detained him while police verify his identity."
Luca looked at Benjamin.
"You're safe, buddy."
But the boy had heard enough.
He began crying.
"Why won't they leave us alone?"
I wrapped my arms around him from the other side.
"Because they're afraid people will learn the truth."
He looked up.
"Then I don't want to be brave anymore."
Luca's face crumpled.
"You don't have to be brave tonight."
He kissed his son's forehead.
"That's my job."
The next hour felt endless.
Police arrived.
The building's power returned.
Investigators confirmed that the man outside had no legitimate reason to approach our apartment.
They were examining whether he was connected to Voss.
Meanwhile, the operation on Halsted Street had taken a dangerous turn.
Maya called shortly after ten.
"Investigators reached the archive."
Luca stood.
"Did they get the records?"
"Some of them."
"What happened?"
"There was a fire in part of the building."
I covered my mouth.
"Was anyone hurt?"
"Firefighters got everyone out."
Maya continued.
"Several storage rooms were damaged, but the investigators had already secured important documents and electronic evidence."
Olivia's voice sounded in the background.
"Tell him about the original contracts."
Maya took a breath.
"They recovered original invoices and authorization templates."
Luca's expression changed.
"Enough to prove the forgeries?"
"Potentially, yes."
"And Voss?"
Maya hesitated.
"He's not in custody yet."
Luca looked toward Benjamin.
The boy had fallen asleep against my shoulder.
His small hand was still clutching the edge of his father's shirt.
I gently moved him onto the couch.
Luca covered him with a blanket.
Then his phone rang again.
This time, there was no caller identification.
Luca answered.
"Moretti."
A man's voice came through the speaker.
"You should have left for New York."
Luca went completely still.
I recognized the voice from Rosa's recording.
Silas Voss.
"You should have stayed away from my family," Luca replied.
Voss laughed softly.
"Your mother said something similar."
Luca's jaw tightened.
"Don't speak about my mother."
"She thought she could destroy everything I'd built."
"You killed her."
There was a pause.
Then Voss answered.
"Your mother made choices."
I watched Luca's hands tighten.
For one terrifying second, I thought he might lose control.
But he looked toward his sleeping son.
And his voice became calm.
"You're finished, Silas."
Voss laughed again.
"Then why am I still free?"
The call ended.
Luca immediately contacted Maya and reported every word.
Investigators began working to identify the caller's location.
For several minutes, nobody spoke.
Then Benjamin stirred on the couch.
"Daddy?"
Luca hurried to him.
"I'm here."
The boy reached for him.
"Did the bad man come?"
"No, buddy."
"Are you leaving?"
Luca held him close.
"No."
He looked at me over Benjamin's shoulder.
And in that moment, I saw the decision he had made.
He would not chase Voss through Chicago.
He would not risk leaving his son fatherless for revenge.
He would let the authorities do their work.
But before midnight, Mateo received another call.
He listened for several seconds.
Then he turned toward Luca.
"Boss, investigators traced Voss's last movements."
Luca stood.
"Where?"
Mateo swallowed.
"Near the parking garage where your mother's final journey began."
Luca stared at him.
May you like
And Mateo continued.
"They believe he's trying to retrieve the last remaining records before he disappears."
