Chapter 11
Marco woke angry.
Not frightened.
That told Luciano he had not been attacked by an enemy.
He had been betrayed by someone he trusted.
“Who hit you?”
Marco laughed bitterly.
“You think I’m answering questions now?”
Luciano placed Rafael’s photograph in front of him.
Marco stopped laughing.
There.
Recognition.
“You’ve seen him.”
Marco said nothing.
Anthony leaned closer.
“Where?”
Silence.
Celeste remained near the chapel entrance.
Marco looked at her.
A mistake.
Luciano noticed.
“What does Rafael want with my wife?”
Marco’s eyes shifted away.
“He doesn’t.”
“Then why tonight?”
Marco finally looked up.
“Because Augusto was going to do it again.”
The chapel went silent.
Augusto stared at him.
Marco continued.
“Rafael knew about the plan.”
“How?”
“He has people.”
“Inside Ferraro?”
“Yes.”
Augusto laughed bitterly. “Of course.”
Luciano looked at Marco.
“You work for him.”
“Not exactly.”
“Then explain.”
Marco’s jaw tightened.
“Rafael wanted proof Augusto had never changed.”
Celeste looked at the phone in Nora’s hand.
“The recording.”
Marco nodded.
“He knew Augusto would eventually try to remove Luciano if the right pressure came.”
Dario swore softly.
It became clearer.
Rafael had not created the trap.
He had known about it.
Maybe even allowed it to develop.
Luciano’s expression hardened.
“If he knew Celeste would be used, why didn’t he stop it?”
Marco’s silence answered badly.
Celeste stared at him.
“He wanted proof more than he wanted me safe.”
No one defended Rafael.
Because she was right.
Another man had turned a pregnant woman into evidence.
Different motive.
Same arrogance.
Luciano looked at the photograph again.
“Where is he?”
Marco smiled faintly.
“Waiting.”
“For what?”
“For Augusto to admit what happened at the ravine.”
Augusto’s face changed.
Luciano saw it.
There was still more.
Anthony whispered, “What happened after Rafael fell?”
Augusto looked at the floor.
Marco answered for him.
“He lived.”
Pause.
“And Augusto found him first.”
May you like
Everyone turned toward the former patriarch.
The story had just changed again.
