Chapter 9 - DINNER WITH THE TRAITORS
The council dinner began at eight.
Six men entered the Moretti dining room beneath chandeliers that had watched generations make promises they never intended to keep.
Vittorio arrived first.
Luca Bellandi came second, walking with the aid of a polished black cane.
The remaining captains—Domenico Serra, Peter Vance, Emilio Russo and Tomas Greco—took their usual seats.
One chair remained empty.
Carlo’s.
Alessandro entered last.
He wore black.
His injured shoulder was hidden beneath the suit.
The ledger rested inside a concealed compartment beneath the table.
“Gentlemen,” he said. “Thank you for coming.”
Vittorio lifted his wine.
“Do we have a choice?”
“No.”
Servants brought the first course.
No one ate.
Alessandro looked around the table.
“Carlo Rinaldi attacked Father Gabriel and attempted to destroy the family chapel.”
Luca’s face showed grief.
“Is the priest alive?”
“Yes.”
“Thank God.”
“God had assistance.”
Vittorio leaned back.
“Where is Carlo?”
“Missing.”
“And you believe one of us helped him.”
“I know one of you did.”
Silence.
Alessandro continued.
“Twenty-seven years ago, funds from the Emilia Moretti Children’s Foundation were used to move weapons through hospitals.”
Domenico Serra frowned.
“That account was closed after your mother died.”
“Because she discovered the theft.”
Vittorio placed his glass down.
“This is ancient history.”
“My mother’s murder is not history to me.”
Luca watched Alessandro carefully.
“What evidence do you have?”
Alessandro smiled without warmth.
“Enough.”
The men exchanged glances.
That was the first test.
Tomas Greco looked confused.
Emilio Russo looked angry.
Vittorio looked bored.
Luca looked afraid.
Alessandro turned to him.
“You knew my mother.”
“I respected her.”
“You knew Antonio Bellandi.”
Luca’s hand tightened around his cane.
“He was my brother.”
“Was he my father?”
No one moved.
Vittorio closed his eyes briefly.
Domenico stared at Alessandro.
Luca’s voice emerged thinly.
“Who told you that?”
“A birth certificate.”
“Birth certificates can be altered.”
“This one was.”
Luca looked toward Vittorio.
There.
Only a second.
But Alessandro saw it.
Not surprise.
Coordination.
“You both knew,” Alessandro said.
Vittorio exhaled.
“Giovanni knew Emilia was pregnant when he married her.”
The room erupted in murmurs.
Alessandro remained still.
“Continue.”
“Antonio was dead,” Vittorio said. “Executed for betraying the family.”
“Did he betray it?”
“He planned to testify against your father.”
Luca struck the floor with his cane.
“He planned to expose murder.”
Vittorio turned.
“You have been silent for thirty-eight years. Do not discover courage now.”
Alessandro looked between them.
“Why alter the records?”
“To protect you,” Luca said. “A child of a traitor would never have survived.”
“Who ordered Dr. Voss?”
“Giovanni.”
“Who killed my mother?”
No answer.
Alessandro placed the ledger on the table.
Every man reacted.
Vittorio’s face finally lost color.
Luca whispered, “She found it.”
“Sophia did,” Alessandro said.
“You brought that woman into the mansion?” Vittorio demanded.
“She was already here.”
“She is the daughter of a thief.”
“She is the daughter of a witness.”
Vittorio stood.
“You are allowing a housekeeper to dismantle this family.”
“No. This family dismantled itself.”
Alessandro opened the ledger.
“Project Wolf Heir. Charity theft. Weapons shipments. Payments to Dr. Voss. Your signatures are here.”
Vittorio’s eyes hardened.
“And Giovanni’s.”
“Yes.”
“Then your father was as guilty as anyone.”
“Perhaps.”
“Will you destroy his name too?”
“If the truth destroys it, then it was already rotten.”
A gunshot sounded outside the dining room.
Then another.
The lights went out.
Alessandro overturned the table.
Men shouted.
Glass shattered.
Emergency lights flickered red.
A guard burst through the doorway.
“Attack at the eastern gate!”
Alessandro drew his weapon.
“Emma.”
He ran.
The hallway was filled with smoke.
Two guards lay unconscious near the stairs.
Not shot.
Drugged.
He reached the guest room.
The door was open.
Sophia lay on the floor, bleeding from the temple.
The bed was empty.
“Emma!”
Sophia lifted one trembling hand.
“Passage.”
Alessandro entered the hidden corridor.
At the far end, the eastern gate stood open.
A black vehicle accelerated down the road.
Emma’s pink blanket lay in the mud.
Pinned beneath it was a note.
May you like
Bring the ledger to Belladonna before midnight.
Come alone, or the child goes into the river.
