Chapter 10
“Who authorized the lease?”
She thought.
“Mateo.”
Of course.
Viktor frowned.
“Boss, there’s more.”
“What?”
“Security found footage of Mateo leaving.”
“Good.”
“Not exactly.”
He took out his phone.
The footage showed the hospital side entrance.
Mateo walked outside at 10:17.
He paused near the curb.
A dark blue sedan pulled up.
The rear door opened.
Mateo got inside willingly.
The sedan drove away.
I replayed it.
“No one forced him.”
“No.”
“Can you identify the car?”
“Working on it.”
Sophia leaned closer.
“Pause.”
Viktor froze the video.
Sophia pointed.
“There.”
In the reflection of the glass hospital door, a woman stood across the street.
Brown coat.
Dark hair.
Rachel.
“You’re sure?” I asked.
Sophia nodded.
“If Rachel was outside when Mateo left…”
“She may have followed him,” Viktor said.
“Or met him,” I replied.
Sophia looked at me.
“You think she’s involved?”
“I think I’ve spent four months making conclusions too early.”
Sophia seemed to appreciate that.
Viktor’s phone rang.
He stepped into the hallway.
I looked at the address again.
“We need to see that warehouse.”
Sophia shook her head.
“You are not going alone.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“I mean I’m coming.”
“No.”
Her eyebrows rose.
I recognized that expression.
“Dom.”
“You gave birth recently.”
“Yesterday.”
“Exactly.”
“And I have spent four months hiding while everyone else decided what I was allowed to know.”
“That isn’t what I meant.”
“It sounded remarkably similar.”
I rubbed my forehead.
Sophia almost smiled again.
It struck me how much I had missed arguing with her.
Not fighting.
Arguing.
Sophia challenged everything I treated as obvious.
Before her, everyone around me had mistaken obedience for agreement.
“I’m not trying to control you,” I said.
“You’re very gifted at doing it accidentally.”
“Apparently.”
She folded her arms.
“We compromise.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“You stay here tonight,” I said. “I go to the warehouse with Viktor. We bring everything back. You review the records because you understand Harbor Relief better than anyone.”
Sophia considered.
“And you don’t hide anything from me.”
“Agreed.”
“Anything.”
“Yes.”
“And you don’t confront Mateo until we understand Northstar.”
I hesitated.
“Dom.”
“Agreed.”
She nodded.
Viktor returned.
“We traced the sedan.”
“To whom?”
He looked uncertain.
“Registered to Daniel Martin.”
Sophia went pale.
“Rachel’s husband.”
“Not Luca?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “Daniel is Luca.”
I stared at her.
“You said Daniel and Rachel Martin.”
“That’s the identity Luca has used for eleven years.”