Chapter 9 - THE BINDING SUMMONS
“We’re settling in fine, Mr. Valente,” I said, keeping my voice carefully steady as I stood up from the sofa and walked toward the kitchen window to look out at the quiet, rain-slicked suburban street. “Is there a problem with the transition?”
“No problem at all with the house, Clara,” Roman replied smoothly from the other end of the line. “In fact, the property is fully secured, and my personal security detail is keeping a discreet watch on the perimeter to ensure no unwanted visitors come knocking on your door.”
“Your security detail?” I repeated, my grip tightening instinctively around the plastic casing of the phone. “I thought we were finished with the estate business, Mr. Valente. You gave us our freedom and our severance.”
“You did me an invaluable service, Clara, and I honor my debts,” Roman said, his tone softening just a fraction, though it retained its absolute authority. “But a vacuum has been created in my organization following Marcus’s removal, and intelligence reports crossing my desk this afternoon suggest that some of my brother’s old associates aren't happy about the sudden change in leadership.”
“That sounds like an internal syndicate matter, Mr. Valente,” I replied cautiously. “I’m a private citizen now. My only priority is my daughter.”
“And your daughter is precisely why I am calling,” Roman said, dropping any pretense of casual conversation. “Marcus didn't act entirely alone when he altered that medical schedule. He had financial backing from an outside syndicate head—a man named Victor Vance, no relation to the doctor, who wants control of our northern shipping docks. My informants tell me Victor knows you and your daughter were the primary witnesses who exposed the plot.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine, freezing the breath in my chest. “If he knows who we are—”
“Then he knows you possess the original medical form bearing Marcus’s signature and the encrypted financial ledgers I recovered from my brother's private safe,” Roman interrupted smoothly. “Which means right now, Victor’s enforcers are looking for you just as actively as they are looking for me.”
I looked out the kitchen window, scanning the quiet suburban street through the rain. A dark sedan idling three houses down suddenly switched on its headlights, its beam cutting sharply through the grey afternoon gloom.
“You put us in this house as bait,” I said, my voice hardening with sudden, bitter anger as the realization hit me with brutal clarity.
“I put you in a fortified house with round-the-clock armed protection because you were no longer safe inside my compound,” Roman countered firmly, his voice rising to match mine. “Listen to me very carefully, Clara. Victor is moving his men into position tonight. I can crush him completely, but to do it legally and cleanly within my own network, I need the original medical form you recovered from the floor yesterday afternoon. The police lab report isn't enough for the syndicate tribunal.”
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“You want the physical evidence back,” I said, my mind racing through our options.
“I want to end this threat once and for all so you and Amara can live the rest of your lives without looking over your shoulder,” Roman replied steadily. “Bring the document to the downtown restaurant on Michigan Avenue at eight o'clock tonight. My driver will pick you up at the corner, bring you to a secure neutral location, and ensure you and your daughter are placed on a private flight out of the state by midnight.”
