Chapter 6 - THE FINAL SHADOW
Though peace had returned to the Caruso family, one final ghost from the past remained to be dealt with before their new life could begin without fear.
It was two weeks before the wedding.
Marco entered Matteo’s glass office on the seventieth floor of Caruso Tower, dropping a confidential intelligence dossier onto the desk.
“What is it, Marco?” Matteo asked, reviewing blueprint schematics for a new children’s hospital in Brooklyn.
“Julian Vance,” Marco said grimly. “Nico’s former legal counsel who fled to Miami after the arrest. He was caught yesterday trying to sell internal financial documents from our old shell companies to a rival syndicate in Chicago.”
Matteo put down his pen, his gray eyes narrowing slightly. “Did he have anything on Elena or Sophie?”
“No,” Marco replied. “He was trying to blackmail us. He claimed he had evidence that could stall the wedding and tie Elena back to the old Panamanian accounts.”
Matteo stood up calmly, buttoning his jacket. “Where is he now?”
“Federal agents arrested him at the Miami airport an hour ago,” Marco smiled faintly. “It turns out the buyer he was meeting... was an undercover FBI agent working with the prosecution team on Anthony and Nico’s case.”
Matteo walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the Hudson River.
“And Anthony and Nico?” Matteo asked.
“Their trial concluded yesterday,” Marco reported. “They both pled guilty to all federal charges to avoid maximum-security isolation. They were sentenced to forty years without parole. They were transferred to ADX Florence this morning. They are finished, Matteo. Completely finished.”
Matteo let out a long, quiet breath. The last thread of the old life, the last shadow that had hung over his family for thirty years, had finally burned away.
“Good,” Matteo said quietly. “Make sure Julian Vance gets the maximum sentence for corporate extortion as well. And Marco?”
“Yes, Boss?”
May you like
Matteo turned to his old friend, a genuine smile breaking across his handsome face. “Stop calling me Boss. You’re the Best Man at my wedding next Saturday. Go get your tuxedo fitted.”
Marco looked at Matteo, his stoic face breaking into a bright, emotional grin. He bowed his head respectfully. “It would be an honor, Matteo.”
