Chapter 9 - The Man Behind Clarissa
Emilio’s face changed so completely that Clarissa took a step toward him.
“Emilio, no.”
He looked at her as if he had never seen her before.
“Exactly like he asked?”
Rafael spread his hands. “Young love is so dramatic.”
Clarissa snapped, “Shut up.”
Her father’s smile faded.
“That is not how you speak to me.”
“That is how I speak to a man who used me.”
“You volunteered.”
Emilio whispered, “Did you?”
Clarissa turned to him. “At the beginning.”
The words hit him visibly.
Lucia watched her brother’s shoulders drop.
Clarissa continued fast, desperate now. “I was supposed to meet you. Learn schedules. Learn who handled money. That was it.”
Emilio laughed bitterly. “That was it?”
“I didn’t know Vincent was stealing from the foundation.”
Rafael said, “Please. Do not pretend you became a nun.”
Clarissa rounded on him. “I told Helena everything.”
For the first time, Rafael looked surprised.
Vincent did too.
Giovanni noticed.
Clarissa pointed at Vincent. “Helena knew about Blue Heron because I gave her the first account number.”
Vincent’s expression darkened.
“You stupid girl.”
“No. I finally stopped being one.”
Rafael stepped closer to her. “You betrayed your own father for him?”
Clarissa looked at Emilio.
“No. I betrayed you because you deserved it.”
Rafael slapped her.
Emilio moved before anyone else.
He hit Rafael so hard the older man crashed into Helena’s coffin.
All three masked gunmen raised their weapons.
Giovanni’s voice cut through the warehouse.
“Nobody fires.”
Rafael wiped blood from his lip.
He looked almost pleased.
“There he is. Giovanni’s son after all.”
Emilio stood over him. “Say one more word about my family.”
“You mean the family you abandoned for a resort?”
Emilio’s fists tightened.
Rafael saw the shame and went straight for it.
“Your mother called you while you were with my daughter. You silenced the phone.”
Emilio froze.
Lucia stared at him. “Is that true?”
He did not answer.
“Emilio.”
His eyes filled.
“Yes.”
The warehouse seemed to shrink around them.
Lucia took a step back as if he had struck her.
“How many times?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know.”
He swallowed. “Seven.”
Lucia’s face crumpled.
“Seven.”
“I thought she was trying to drag me home again.”
“She was dying.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t want to know!”
Emilio looked at the floor.
That was the truth.
Giovanni’s eyes stayed on his son, but his voice was meant for Rafael. “You think this breaks me?”
Rafael smiled. “No. This is just the appetizer.”
Vincent reached for the fake ledger.
Clarissa tossed it onto the concrete between them.
“There.”
Vincent bent to pick it up.
Father Matteo suddenly kicked his chair backward into one of the masked gunmen.
The man stumbled.
Marco’s sniper fired from across the water.
A warehouse light exploded.
Darkness.
Gunfire erupted.
Lucia dropped behind a forklift.
Giovanni dragged Father Matteo’s chair onto its side.
Emilio grabbed Clarissa and pulled her behind the coffin.
Rafael vanished into the dark.
Vincent shouted, “Get the girl!”
Lucia heard footsteps coming toward her.
She picked up a loose metal hook.
A masked man rounded the forklift.
Before he could aim, Lucia swung.
The hook slammed into his wrist.
His gun fell.
She kicked it away.
Then the warehouse loading door exploded inward as a truck rammed through it.
More armed men poured inside.
Not Giovanni’s.
Not Rafael’s.
Vincent screamed, “Who called them?”
A woman’s voice answered from the truck.
“Helena did.”
Everyone turned.
A silver-haired woman stepped down wearing a federal agent’s windbreaker.
She held up a badge.
“FBI. Nobody move.”
Giovanni stared at her.
He knew her.
So did Helena.
And Emilio realized his mother had been running a plan none of them understood.
The next chapters are on the left side of your screen.
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