Chapter 7 - THE BROTHER WHO DISAPPEARED
Ethan vanished on a Thursday afternoon.
He had gone to a medical appointment for his injured hand.
He never returned.
At first, Nora thought his phone had died.
Then she called the clinic.
He had checked out at two-fifteen.
By five, she was frightened.
By seven, she was terrified.
She called Arthur.
He answered immediately.
“Nora?”
Her voice broke.
“Ethan's missing.”
Arthur stood.
“Where was he last seen?”
She told him.
“Have you contacted the police?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Arthur looked toward Dominic.
“Find out whether Rocco has been seen today.”
Nora began crying.
“I told Ethan to go to the doctor.”
Arthur's voice softened.
“You did the right thing.”
“What if something happens to him?”
Arthur closed his eyes.
He remembered Maria.
The diner.
The fire.
“I'm going to do everything I can to help.”
That evening, investigators found security footage showing Ethan entering a dark van outside the clinic.
Two men accompanied him.
The footage was turned over to police.
Dominic recognized one of the men.
A known associate of Rocco Bellucci.
Arthur's expression became cold.
“Rocco.”
Dominic nodded.
“Looks that way.”
Arthur stared at the image.
For years, he had answered threats with threats.
Violence with violence.
Now he looked at Nora sitting across the room, shaking with fear.
He knew what she needed.
Not another war.
Her brother alive.
Arthur contacted his attorney and provided the information to investigators.
Then he made one call.
To Rocco Bellucci.
The younger man answered with a laugh.
“Arthur Moretti. Finally.”
Arthur's voice was steady.
“Where is Ethan Callahan?”
Rocco laughed again.
“Your maid's little brother?”
Arthur closed his eyes.
“Let him go.”
Rocco's voice hardened.
“Then maybe you should give me what my father wanted twenty-seven years ago.”
Arthur went still.
“What?”
Rocco smiled through the phone.
“The ledger.”
Arthur stared into the darkness.
May you like
Because he knew exactly which ledger Rocco meant.
And he had spent twenty-seven years pretending it didn't exist.
