Chapter 4 - THE SYNDICATE BOSS'S OLD DEBT
Matteo Caruso met Ren at a public café overlooking Boston Harbor.
She had insisted on choosing the location.
He arrived alone.
No bodyguards at the table.
No intimidating entourage.
Just a dark coat and a small folder.
Ren sat across from him.
“Before we begin, I want something clear.”
Matteo nodded.
“Go ahead.”
“I don't owe you anything.”
He smiled faintly.
“Agreed.”
“And I won't accept money from you.”
“Understood.”
“And if you're involved in anything illegal connected to my grandfather's property, I want to know.”
Matteo studied her.
Then nodded.
“Fair.”
He opened the folder.
“Your grandfather and my father were business partners.”
Ren frowned.
“In what?”
“Ship repair. Dock maintenance. Maritime logistics.”
She waited.
Matteo continued.
“Twenty years ago, my father became involved with men who used those businesses for criminal activity.”
Ren's stomach tightened.
“My grandfather knew?”
“He found out.”
“And?”
“He refused to participate.”
Ren leaned forward.
“What happened?”
Matteo looked toward the harbor.
“He gathered evidence.”
“Against your father?”
“Against several people.”
Ren stared.
Matteo continued.
“My father ordered him to destroy it.”
“And he refused.”
“Yes.”
Ren felt cold.
“What happened next?”
Matteo's jaw tightened.
“My father sent men to frighten him.”
She held her breath.
“But your grandfather wasn't alone.”
Matteo looked at her.
“I was nineteen. I learned what my father planned.”
Ren stared.
“What did you do?”
“I warned Emilio.”
She swallowed.
“And he saved your life?”
Matteo nodded.
“When my father discovered I'd warned him, he ordered me brought home.”
Ren understood.
“He was going to punish you.”
“Yes.”
Matteo looked down.
“Your grandfather hid me for three days. Then arranged for me to leave the country.”
Ren stared at him.
“He protected you from your own father.”
Matteo nodded.
“He did.”
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Ren asked:
“What happened to the evidence?”
Matteo's expression changed.
“That's what Derek was trying to find.”
Ren felt her pulse quicken.
“The trust?”
“Not just the trust.”
He leaned forward.
“Your grandfather hid records that could expose decades of corruption.”
Ren stared.
“And you think they're still there?”
Matteo nodded.
“Somewhere in the old shipyard.”
She thought of the map.
The red markings.
The note.
The eastern wall remembers.
May you like
Ren looked at him.
“I think I know where to start.”
