Chapter 10 - THE TRAP AT THE WATERFRONT
Gabriel Voss made his mistake on a Thursday afternoon.
He called Matteo directly.
No intermediaries.
No lawyers.
No threats through strangers.
Just a familiar voice.
“Matteo.”
Matteo stopped.
“Gabriel.”
His former friend laughed softly.
“Long time.”
“What do you want?”
“Coffee.”
Matteo said nothing.
Gabriel continued.
“We should talk.”
“Through attorneys.”
Gabriel laughed.
“Still pretending to be respectable?”
Matteo's jaw tightened.
“Say what you need to say.”
A pause.
Then Gabriel's voice hardened.
“You walked away from everything.”
Matteo stared.
“Yes.”
“You left the docks to people who didn't know how to run them.”
“You were one of those people.”
Silence.
Gabriel laughed bitterly.
“Exactly.”
Matteo closed his eyes.
His former lieutenant continued.
“I kept the money flowing. I kept the crews paid. I kept the businesses alive.”
“And then you forged my signature.”
Gabriel went silent.
Matteo continued.
“You used my name.”
“You abandoned it.”
“I left the organization.”
“You left a vacuum.”
Matteo took a breath.
“Then fill it without using me.”
Gabriel laughed.
“You still don't understand.”
His voice became cold.
“Your reputation is worth more than your signature.”
Matteo felt his stomach tighten.
Gabriel continued.
“Investors listen when they think Matteo Marquez is behind a deal.”
“Then tell them I'm not.”
“And lose everything?”
Silence.
Matteo understood.
Gabriel had built his empire on borrowed fear.
Now that fear was becoming difficult to control.
“Why Lena?” Matteo asked.
A pause.
Gabriel's voice softened.
“Because I knew you'd come.”
Matteo closed his eyes.
“And the diner?”
Gabriel said nothing.
Matteo's jaw tightened.
“Did you burn it?”
Gabriel laughed.
“Careful what you accuse people of.”
Matteo looked toward the window.
He wanted to shout.
Threaten.
Promise revenge.
But he remembered Lena.
The burned diner.
The community hall.
The people who trusted him to remain different.
He took a breath.
“Gabriel, this conversation is over.”
His former friend laughed.
“Afraid?”
Matteo smiled sadly.
“Yes.”
Silence.
Gabriel sounded confused.
“What?”
“I'm afraid of becoming the man I used to be.”
Matteo's voice remained steady.
“But I'm more afraid of hurting the people I love.”
He ended the call.
Then forwarded the recording, made in accordance with legal advice and applicable consent requirements, to Daniel and Detective Ellis.
Hours later, investigators obtained additional evidence connecting Gabriel to the harassment and arson scheme.
The waterfront contracts were frozen pending review.
Several Blackwater employees agreed to cooperate.
Gabriel's empire began collapsing.
But he wasn't finished.
That night, Lena received a message.
A photograph of the temporary community hall.
Underneath were four words.
NEXT TIME, PEOPLE DIE.
Lena stared at the screen.
Then called Detective Ellis.
She didn't call Matteo first.
She didn't hide the threat.
She didn't try to handle it alone.
May you like
She reported it.
And that decision would save lives.
