Chapter 5 – THE SINS OF THE FATHER

The silence in the restaurant was broken only by Anthony’s quiet, broken sobs.

Vincent stared at the photo in the locket. His hand trembled as he reached out and touched the glass over the little boy’s smiling face.

“A nephew,” Vincent whispered. “I have a nephew.”

He looked down at his brother. The anger was gone, replaced by a devastating sorrow.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Ant?”

“Because of Dad!” Anthony yelled, tears streaming down his bruised face. “Because of what this family does to kids! Dad beat us. He gambled us away. I wanted Leo to be clean. I wanted him to go to school, play baseball, and never know what a Caruso does in the dark.”

Rose knelt beside Anthony, wrapping her arms around his shaking shoulders. “Oh, my brave boy. I didn’t know. I served him pancakes every week, and I didn’t know he was yours.”

“Daniel figured it out,” Anthony cried, looking up at Vincent. “He saw me watching Leo at the park. He took him from his mother’s house two hours ago. That’s why I was late to the dinner. I was tearing the city apart looking for him.”

I stood up, wiping my tears. The fear for my sister was still burning in my chest, but looking at Anthony’s agony, a different kind of fire ignited.

“We can’t just stand here,” I said, my voice surprisingly steady. “Daniel wants twenty-eight million dollars in bearer bonds. Do you have it?”

Vincent stood slowly. The sorrow in his eyes vanished, replaced by the cold, calculating stare of the boss he was trained to be.

“No. Daniel froze the offshore accounts yesterday. I can’t access that kind of liquid cash by tonight.”

“Then Leo is dead,” Anthony whispered, staring at the floor. “And your sister is going to prison, Mia.”

“Get up,” Vincent snapped, grabbing Anthony’s collar and hauling him to his feet. “Nobody is dying. And nobody is going to prison. Daniel thinks he’s playing a game he designed, but he forgot one thing.”

“What?” Anthony asked.

Vincent turned to Richard Mercer, who was still cowering against the refrigerator.

“He forgot that we have the man who actually signed the fraudulent loan documents.” Vincent pointed his gun at Richard’s head. “Where is the money, Richard? The twenty-eight million. The bank wired it to your company this morning. Where is it?”

Richard held up his hands, shaking violently. “I don’t have it! Daniel forced me to transfer it immediately to a shell corporation in the Cayman Islands!”

“Which shell corporation?”

“I don’t know! It was a string of numbers. Only Daniel has the routing codes!”

Vincent pressed the barrel of the gun against Richard’s forehead. “Think harder.”

“I swear! I swear on my life!” Richard sobbed.

I looked around the room, desperate for a clue. My eyes landed on the shattered silver watch Rose had brought. I thought about the bloodstained letter. I thought about the secrets people kept close to them.

Then I remembered something from the dinner.

“Caroline,” I said aloud.

Vincent looked at me. “What?”

“Caroline,” I repeated, stepping forward. “When we were at the mansion, Caroline knew about the safe in your mother’s apartment. She knew exactly when it was removed. But more importantly, she knew about the hotel development. She is the VP of Mercer Properties.”

Richard’s eyes went wide. “Leave Caroline out of this! She doesn’t know anything about the Caymans!”

I ignored him. “Mr. Caruso, when Caroline was screaming as security dragged her out, she was wearing a thick silver bracelet. It looked old. It didn’t match her diamond jewelry.”

Rose gasped. “Evelyn’s bracelet. The heavy silver cuff with the roses engraved on it.”

“Yes,” I said. “Caroline was wearing it.”

Vincent looked at Richard. “You stole my mother’s jewelry when you searched her apartment?”

“Caroline liked it!” Richard cried. “I took it as a gift!”

“My mother never wore jewelry,” Vincent said quietly, realization dawning on his face. “Except that cuff. She told me she bought it at a flea market. It was thick. Solid silver.”

“And it was engraved on the inside,” Rose whispered. “A long string of numbers. Evelyn told me it was a Bible verse. But there were no letters. Just numbers.”

Vincent lowered the gun. He looked at Anthony.

“The routing codes,” Vincent said. “Mom didn’t leave the ledger to destroy Daniel. She left it to track him. She knew Daniel was stealing. She engraved the master routing numbers of his shell accounts inside that bracelet.”

“And Caroline Mercer is wearing it,” Anthony breathed.

Vincent turned to me. “Where did security take her?”

“To the front gates,” I said. “But she wouldn’t have left without her father. She’s probably sitting in her car at the end of the driveway, waiting for him.”

Vincent grabbed Richard by the collar and dragged him toward the door. “Anthony, take Rose to the safe house. Mia, you’re coming with me.”

“To get the bracelet?” I asked, my heart pounding.

Vincent shook his head. “To get the money. And then, we’re going to buy back your sister’s future, and my nephew’s life.”

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