Chapter 5 - THE PRICE OF WALKING AWAY
There are no clean exits from a dirty empire.
My attorney, Gabriel Stein, explained that in more polite language.
We met in Denver.
Neutral office.
No one from Chicago.
Carlo.
Sofia.
Me.
“You want to cooperate against Vincent?”
“Yes.”
“And others?”
“If necessary.”
Gabriel stared.
“You understand exposure?”
“Yes.”
“No, Roman.”
He leaned forward.
“You have spent nearly two decades around enterprises federal prosecutors would describe with words you dislike.”
“I know the words.”
“Do you?”
Racketeering.
Money laundering.
Extortion.
Obstruction.
I listened.
For once, I did not interrupt.
Gabriel continued.
“If you cooperate, you may lose companies.”
“Fine.”
“Assets.”
“Fine.”
“Freedom.”
I stopped.
There it was.
Norah.
Twins.
I had found them after a year and might lose them by doing the one thing necessary to deserve proximity.
“How long?”
“No one can promise.”
I looked away.
“Then why do this?” Gabriel asked.
“Because a man inside my organization tracked my pregnant wife.”
“That’s anger.”
“No.”
I looked back.
“Because as long as the organization exists the way it does, my children inherit enemies before they inherit my name.”
Gabriel sat back.
Better answer.
We began.
Not everything.
Not immediately.
Document preservation.
Financial separation.
Identifying legitimate holdings.
Freezing discretionary payments.
Removing Vincent from operational authority under corporate pretexts.
He noticed.
Of course.
Within hours, Vincent called.
“You're making a mistake.”
“Probably.”
“You really think Norah will take you back if you burn everything?”
“No.”
That silenced him.
“Then why?”
I looked at Noah sleeping against Norah’s chest.
“Because this isn't about getting her back.”
The truth felt strange.
Vincent laughed.
“You've gone soft.”
“Maybe.”
“You know what happens to soft men.”
“Yes.”
I ended the call.
Norah overheard.
“You don't have to do this for me.”
“I know.”
“For them?”
“Yes.”
She looked at the twins.
“That still scares me.”
“What?”
“You changing everything because of us.”
“Why?”
“Because then someday, if you're unhappy, we become the reason you lost your world.”
That cut.
She knew how men stored resentment.
“I won't make you responsible.”
“You can't promise emotions.”
“No.”
I thought.
“I can promise the decisions are mine.”
She studied me.
“Better.”
No forgiveness.
Better.
That became our rhythm.
Noah improved.
Lila gained weight.
I learned bottles.
Diapers.
How to burp a child without looking like I was interrogating them.
Norah laughed once when Lila spit milk down my shirt.
The sound nearly stopped my heart.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You laughed.”
“I have before.”
“Not at me.”
“Frequently at you.”
We both smiled.
Then remembered we were not a couple.
The smile faded.
Healthy.
Painful.
Necessary.
Sofia remained nearby.
We talked at night.
About our mother.
About our father.
About all the things we had misunderstood.
She showed me letters.
Our mother had written one for me.
Never delivered.
Roman, you are not responsible for becoming like your father before you are old enough to know there are other ways to be a man. But someday you will know. What you do then will belong to you.
I read that sentence ten times.
Someday you will know.
I knew now.
May you like
That meant excuses ended.
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