Chapter 7 - The Ledger
Luca refused to explain until they were somewhere safe. He insisted they leave the clinic through the back, where an old delivery van waited beneath a broken security light.
Mia held his hand the entire way.
“You said you'd be back before my birthday,” she told him.
“I know.”
“You missed it.”
“I know, sweetheart.”
“You owe me eight presents.”
Luca gave a tired laugh. “I'll buy you nine.”
“Ten. One for the cake.”
Lorenzo watched them from the driver's seat. He had once believed that loyalty was measured by what a man would do for his boss. Watching Luca, he understood it was measured by what a man would endure for a child.
At the safe house, Luca finally unfolded the document. It was a page from a private ledger, listing payments to shell companies, judges, customs officials, and security contractors. At the bottom was a transfer marked with a code: BLUE ROOM.
“Your wife found the money trail,” Luca said. “She discovered Raffaele was selling access to the family's routes. But he wasn't working alone.”
“Who else?”
“Councilman Adrian Vale.”
Lorenzo's jaw tightened. Vale had been his public face for years, the man who kept legitimate businesses clean and politicians friendly.
“Why didn't you bring this to me?”
“I tried. The night Sofia died, I was taking her to meet you. The convoy was attacked. I got her out, but someone shot me before I could reach the hospital.”
“You told me she was dead.”
“I thought she was. Then I woke up in a warehouse. They wanted the ledger. I escaped, but they kept me moving. I couldn't risk leading them to Mia.”
Luca pointed to the code. “The full ledger is hidden where Sofia left it. The blue room was only the first clue.”
Mia sat quietly, drawing circles on a paper napkin.
“What happens if they get it?” she asked.
“They erase everyone connected to it,” Luca answered.
Lorenzo looked at the page. There were two signatures beside the largest transfer.
One belonged to Raffaele.
The other was his own.
May you like
He had never signed it.
But the signature was perfect.
