Chapter 17 - The Truth About Sofia
Charles Bellamy lay bleeding on the warehouse floor, surrounded by agents.
Vincent crouched beside him.
“What did you mean?”
Charles smiled weakly. “Ask your wife.”
Hale pushed Vincent back. “He’s done talking to you.”
Sofia entered with Emily and Grace behind the tactical line. The moment she saw Charles, her expression went blank.
Vincent stood.
“Were you working for the government?”
Sofia stopped.
Hale looked away.
That was answer enough.
Vincent laughed once, wounded and furious. “Of course.”
“Vince—”
“Three years?”
“I was already collecting evidence before I vanished.”
“For who?”
“Financial Crimes Task Force.”
“You wore a wire in my house?”
“Twice.”
He stared at her.
Everything became unstable again. The reunion. The kiss. The idea that she had been only a victim.
Sofia stepped closer.
“I was not investigating you at first. I was investigating the shell companies around you. Then I found Rocco.”
“And you didn’t tell me.”
“Because you would have done exactly what you did tonight. You would have kicked down every door between here and Albany.”
“That is my family.”
“And Nico is mine too.”
The words hit hard.
Sofia’s eyes filled.
“I had forty-eight hours to choose. Tell you and risk Rocco killing everyone connected to the case, or disappear under federal protection while we built enough evidence to take him down.”
“Protection?” Vincent pointed at the bruises on her wrists. “That looks like protection?”
“The safe house was compromised after six months. Bellamy had someone inside the task force. After that, I was moved. Then taken. I spent the last two years in places Rocco controlled.”
Hale spoke quietly. “We believed she was dead until six weeks ago.”
Vincent’s anger shifted toward him.
“You knew six weeks ago?”
“We had a possible voice intercept. Not confirmation.”
Sofia reached for Vincent’s hand.
He did not take it.
A radio on Hale’s vest crackled.
“Storage unit team reporting. Unit 314 has been breached.”
Vincent turned.
“By who?”
The answer came through static.
“Unknown male. One guard down. Suspect left with a black ledger.”
Dominic stumbled in from outside, rain-soaked, his brother’s blood on his shirt.
He heard the message.
Then his phone rang.
May you like
He looked at the screen and went pale.
“It’s Rocco.”
