Chapter 6 - ROMAN COULD TERRIFY HALF OF BOSTON, BUT HE COULDN’T MAKE TITAN TRUST HIM AGAIN BY FORCE
After the break-in, Roman wanted Emma at his estate.
Emma said no.
Roman offered a hotel suite.
Emma said no.
Sofia offered her apartment.
Emma considered it.
Roman looked offended.
Emma said:
“Your sister has normal locks.”
Sofia smiled.
Eventually Emma compromised.
She moved into the apartment above a veterinary rehabilitation center owned by Dr. Cho for one week.
Titan came too.
Roman came every morning.
Not with six guards.
One car.
Dante outside.
Coffee inside.
Emma noticed.
She said nothing for three days.
On the fourth, Roman sat on the floor while Titan chewed a rubber toy near Emma.
“Come.”
Roman said softly.
Titan’s ears moved.
Then he stayed.
Roman’s face tightened.
Emma looked up from inventory paperwork.
“You did it again.”
“What?”
“Command when you’re anxious.”
Roman looked at the dog.
“He used to come.”
“I know.”
“What if he never does?”
Emma put down her pen.
“Then you love the dog you have.”
Roman’s eyes lifted.
“That sounds simple.”
“It isn’t.”
“How long?”
“What?”
“Until he trusts me.”
Emma sighed.
“You still think trust is a schedule.”
“I run companies.”
“Titan is not quarterly earnings.”
Roman leaned back against the cabinet.
“He was my brother’s.”
Emma froze.
This was new.
“Brother?”
“Matteo.”
Roman’s eyes stayed on Titan.
“He died six years ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
Roman nodded once.
“Titan was eight months old.”
“Matteo bought him.”
“Why?”
“He wanted a dog too large for his apartment.”
Emma smiled faintly.
“Family trait?”
“Poor judgment?”
“Yes.”
Roman almost smiled.
“What happened to Matteo?”
Roman’s expression closed.
Emma immediately said:
“You don’t have to tell me.”
He looked at her.
“I usually like people not asking.”
“I asked.”
“You gave me an exit.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because trust is not a hostage situation.”
Something flickered in his face.
Then:
“He died in a warehouse fire.”
Emma waited.
“Accident?”
Roman stared at Titan.
“No.”
That was enough.
Roman continued:
“Our father was alive.”
“Enemies.”
“Retaliation.”
“I was supposed to be at that warehouse.”
“Matteo went instead.”
Emma’s stomach tightened.
“You think he died because of you.”
“Yes.”
“Does Titan know?”
Roman looked at her like the question was absurd.
“Dogs don’t understand guilt.”
“No.”
“But they understand what it does to routines.”
Roman became quiet.
After a while:
“When Matteo died, Titan stopped eating.”
“I sat with him.”
“He eventually ate from my hand.”
“He slept outside my door that night.”
“Never left.”
Emma looked at the dog.
“Until someone made being near your world hurt.”
Roman’s jaw tightened.
“Yes.”
There it was.
The conspiracy had done more than create a security failure.
It had targeted the oldest living bond Roman associated with his brother.
Emma understood why his anger frightened everyone.
She also understood why revenge would be easy.
“Roman.”
“Yes?”
“If Julian did this—”
“He did.”
“Evidence is moving that direction.”
“He did.”
Emma let it go.
“If he did.”
Roman looked annoyed.
“What?”
“You cannot fix Titan by destroying Julian.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Roman looked at the dog.
“Because Titan won’t know.”
Emma nodded.
“Good.”
That afternoon, Lena entered carrying test results.
“The harness conditioner contained a strong synthetic cedar compound.”
Emma nodded.
“Association.”
“Likely.”
“There are trace residues on Felix’s cuffs.”
“Colin’s portfolio.”
“And?”
Lena looked at Roman.
“Titan’s old bedding from the security room.”
His expression changed.
“What?”
“Somebody applied it deliberately.”
Emma felt sick.
“They conditioned the room too.”
Lena nodded.
“Repeated odor plus discomfort.”
“Titan begins anticipating pain before anything happens.”
Roman stood.
“Who had access?”
Lena held up a hand.
“I’m the veterinarian.”
“Not detective.”
“Sit.”
Roman actually did.
Emma stared.
Lena smiled.
“I may frame this day.”
Then:
“Titan’s body is improving.”
“Skin healing.”
“Heart rate good.”
“Behavior?”
Emma asked.
“Better here.”
“Worse when security uniforms enter.”
Roman looked toward Dante outside.
Lena nodded.
“That will take time.”
Roman’s face tightened.
“Dante never hurt him.”
“Titan doesn’t know that.”
“I do.”
“Yes.”
“Your knowledge and Titan’s nervous system are separate.”
Roman leaned forward.
“What do I do?”
Lena smiled slightly.
“Ask Emma.”
Roman looked at Emma.
She almost choked.
“No.”
“You apparently have opinions.”
“I have many.”
“Useful ones?”
“Occasionally.”
Roman waited.
Emma sighed.
“Change context.”
“No commands for things he already chooses voluntarily.”
“Food from you.”
“Walks with you and me at first.”
“No security gear around him unless necessary.”
“Let him approach.”
“No touching harness areas without warning.”
Roman nodded.
“And if he walks away?”
“Let him.”
Roman looked almost offended.
Emma continued:
“Trust includes the right to leave.”
That sentence changed something between them.
Roman looked toward the window.
“People around me usually don’t have that.”
Emma’s chest tightened.
“Because you don’t let them?”
“Because they think they don’t.”
“Is there a difference?”
Roman looked at her.
“Yes.”
“Enough of one?”
He did not answer.
Lena watched both of them.
“I suddenly remember an appointment.”
Emma glared.
“You don’t.”
“I do now.”
She left.
Roman asked:
“Why are you not afraid of me?”
Emma laughed.
“I am.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“Constantly.”
“Then why—”
“Fear and obedience are not the same thing.”
Roman went still.
Emma continued.
“My father was angry when I was a kid.”
“Not violent.”
“Just the kind of man who could make an entire house reorganize itself around his mood.”
“I learned early that if I kept changing myself to prevent another person’s anger, eventually I had no idea which choices were mine.”
Roman’s gaze softened.
“He’s alive?”
“Yes.”
“Do you speak?”
“Christmas.”
“Sometimes birthdays.”
“Why not more?”
“Because being his daughter doesn’t require giving him unlimited access to me.”
Roman looked away.
Family again.
Always family.
That evening, Julian called Roman.
Emma heard only Roman’s side.
“Where are you?”
Pause.
“No.”
Another pause.
“You heard Felix was arrested?”
Pause.
“Colin too.”
Longer pause.
“I know.”
Roman’s expression became unreadable.
Then:
“You want to meet?”
Emma looked up.
Roman listened.
“When?”
Another pause.
“Fine.”
He ended the call.
Emma immediately said:
“No.”
Roman looked at her.
“What?”
“You are not meeting Julian alone.”
“He asked me to.”
“That is exactly why.”
“You think you’re coming?”
“No.”
“I think Morales is.”
Roman almost smiled.
“You’re becoming difficult.”
“I started difficult.”
“True.”
Roman called Morales.
She approved a controlled meeting at a public Calder hotel lounge with surveillance and law enforcement nearby.
Julian arrived early.
He looked exhausted.
Roman sat across from him.
Emma was not in the room.
She watched remotely with Morales and Sofia from an adjacent office because somehow her life had become ridiculous.
Julian began:
“You think I did it.”
Roman said nothing.
Julian continued.
“Felix was hired through Beacon.”
“Yes.”
“I own part of Beacon.”
“Yes.”
“Colin worked through my recommendation.”
“Yes.”
“And you think I wanted you dead.”
Roman leaned forward.
“Did you?”
Julian’s face crumpled.
“No.”
“Then help me.”
Julian looked down.
“I was moving money.”
Sofia whispered:
“What?”
Morales held up a hand.
In the lounge, Roman waited.
Julian continued.
“Victor’s accounts.”
“Old structures.”
“Things your father left.”
Roman’s face changed.
“Why?”
“Because you were going to shut them down.”
“Yes.”
“Victor would lose millions.”
“Julian.”
Roman’s voice hardened.
“What did you do?”
“I moved enough to make the restructuring fail.”
Emma felt cold.
Not assassination.
Financial sabotage.
Julian continued.
“Felix was supposed to create a security incident.”
“Nothing more.”
Roman stared.
“A security incident.”
“Titan runs.”
“You miss Pier Nine.”
“Inspection gets delayed.”
“Why?”
Julian swallowed.
“Because auditors were going to find something at Pier Nine.”
“What?”
“Records.”
“What records?”
“Shipping books from your father’s era.”
Sofia whispered:
“Oh my God.”
Roman’s face went empty.
“You hid them?”
“No.”
“Victor did.”
“Years ago.”
“I found them during restructuring.”
“Why not tell me?”
Julian started crying.
“Because they implicated everyone.”
“Victor.”
“Your father.”
“Me.”
“Some of your early companies.”
Roman stared.
“And you thought if I found them?”
“You would turn everything over.”
“Yes.”
“Exactly.”
Julian laughed bitterly.
“You always think you can clean the Calder name by burning half of it.”
Roman said:
“Maybe it needs burning.”
Julian looked at him.
“I didn’t order anyone to hurt Titan.”
Roman leaned closer.
“Then who did?”
Julian hesitated.
“I told Felix to make him run.”
Emma’s stomach turned.
There.
Roman’s voice dropped.
“How?”
“I didn’t ask.”
“You paid him.”
“Beacon did.”
“You knew he was security.”
“Yes.”
“You told him to interfere with my dog.”
“I told him to create a diversion.”
Roman’s face changed.
Not rage.
Pain.
“You used Matteo’s dog.”
Julian’s eyes closed.
“I’m sorry.”
Roman stood.
Morales immediately moved.
But Roman did not hit him.
He walked away.
Julian called after him:
“Victor knew about the books!”
Roman stopped.
Julian continued.
“He knew I was delaying you.”
“He didn’t know about the dog.”
“He thought the camera outage would buy time.”
Roman turned.
“So Victor sabotaged Pier Nine.”
“Yes.”
“Felix escalated the diversion.”
“Yes.”
“Colin?”
“Managed logistics.”
“Did anyone intend to kill me?”
Julian shook his head desperately.
“No.”
Emma watched Roman.
The mystery had changed.
The terrifying plan had not been a simple assassination.
It was something more Calder-like.
Everyone had betrayed Roman for different reasons.
Julian to hide financial misconduct.
Victor to protect family secrets.
Felix and Colin for money.
And Titan had been the easiest living thing to hurt because nobody expected a dog to expose the structure.
Morales entered the lounge.
Julian did not resist.
Roman stood by the window.
Emma entered only after Morales nodded.
Roman did not look at her.
She stood beside him.
“No commands.”
She said quietly.
He looked at her.
“What?”
“You’re about to decide what to do with your entire family.”
“Don’t do it while angry.”
Roman laughed once.
“You’ve known me a week.”
“Yes.”
“And somehow you’re exhausting in exactly the right places.”
She looked toward Titan on the monitor downstairs with Dante.
“Your dog trained me.”
For the first time since Julian’s confession, Roman smiled.
Then Morales returned.
“Roman.”
“What?”
“Julian’s story checks one major fact.”
“What?”
“The Pier Nine records exist.”
Roman closed his eyes.
May you like
Morales continued:
“And if they say what he claims, your family problem is about to become a federal one.”
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