Chapter 41

I pushed by Ben and Jack and whispered to myself, "I can't keep dealing with this right now." As I hurried out of the office, their shouts trailed off behind me, leaving them to wrangle in the mess I had just started to clean up.

I could still hear Jack's rage. What could I do, though? They thought I was making things worse, but I was stuck in a corner, concealing secrets to keep them safe. I wish they were aware of how much worse things may get.

I looked at my phone as I entered the hallway. I had one more meeting to attend before the evening was finished, and it was just after ten o'clock. Before I went home to Emily, I had one last thread to pull. Keeping her in the dark didn't help her suspicions, which were already high.

In my hand, my phone buzzed.

"Be at the old café on Lexington by midnight. Don't be late."

The message was from someone Katherine had mentioned during our last conversation. She informed me that this individual, who had connections to Victor's underground network, was the only person she knew who could assist. However, this person shared my desire for Victor's departure more than loyalty.

This was my one and only chance to gain enough power to reverse Victor's position before he ruined everything.

An hour later, I was seated in the rear corner of an ancient, partially deserted Lexington Avenue café. Long shadows were formed over the shabby booths and chipped tabletops by the gentle illumination of the streetlights that came in through the windows. It was dead silent, but for a few late-night stragglers who sat drinking cold coffee.

I looked at my watch. Midnight.

A tall, thin man with a long coat came in through the door, looked about the room, and saw me. He walked with a certain ease, as if he were accustomed to being invisible. He had a thin scar down the side of his cheek and a worn countenance, possibly from being in his fifties.

Katherine had told me about him, and this had to be him.

Without waiting for an invitation, the man slipped into the booth across from me and murmured, "Ethan Monroe," as he walked over to my table.

I answered in a neutral tone, "That's me."

Leaning back, the man assessed me. "I am aware of you. You are making an effort to tidy up the mess that your father left behind."

I mumbled, "You could say that. You're the person Katherine brought up?"

He gave a nod. "Name's Gerard. Let's just say that I want Victor Alvarez out of the picture for personal reasons."

"Why now?" I squinted as I asked. "You've spent years in his sphere of influence. What caused the abrupt change of heart?"

With a sly smile, Gerard took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. Victor is acting irrationally. "He believes he can take over entirely now that Henry is gone, and he has too much power. However, along the way, he has made adversaries, like me, who are sick of taking a backseat."

I rested my elbows on the table and leaned forward. "I require leverage. Something that could defeat him. Katherine said you might have access to the kind of information I need."

Gerard's eyes narrowed as he thought about me and blew out a jet of smoke. "Yes, I have contacts. It's difficult to get close to Victor, though. You don't just walk into his world and come out clean."

I answered firmly, "I'm not looking to come out clean. I just want him out of the picture."

Gerard moved closer and lowered his voice after taking another suck from his cigarette. ""Victor has a network. He moves guns through Monroe Enterprises, but that's not all. He uses shell corporations, offshore accounts, and other means to maintain the flow of his illicit wealth. You must obtain those accounts if you wish to obtain leverage."

"And you can help me with that?" With the situation weighing heavily on my shoulders, I inquired.

Gerard gave a slow nod. "I can. However, it will cost you."

"Money isn't a problem," I said hastily.

With his cigarette ash flicking, Gerard remarked, "It's not just money. It's trust. You'll have to be prepared to act dirty if you want to defeat Victor. Are you certain you're prepared for that?"

I paused for a second, considering Emily. I had dragged her into a mess. Is it truly possible for me to continue this without being honest with her?

I finally answered, "I'm ready," but the notion of what I was risking made my chest clench.

Gerard stabbed out his cigarette and remarked, "Good. I'll be in contact as soon as I know further details. But keep in mind that this is a dangerous situation. Don't get burned."

The trip home seemed to take longer than it ought to have. Manhattan's bright lights created long shadows that flickered through the automobile windows as the downtown streets were deserted. Thinking about the talk with Gerard and the additional risks I was taking on top of everything else caused my thoughts to race.

I grabbed the steering wheel and sat for a while after pulling into the penthouse's underground garage. I had taken the initial moves to defeat Victor? How much longer could I hide things from Emily? Would she ever forgive me for deceiving her for so long if I told her?

I inhaled deeply before getting out of the car and heading upstairs. I had to get my thoughts straight, but the stress was killing me. Victor was all about me, his threats rising like an unstoppable storm.

It was dark inside the penthouse when I eventually arrived. Since I didn't want to wake Emily if she was already asleep, I carefully closed the door. The mellow glow from the city outside, which poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, was the only source of light in the room.

I saw her as soon as I entered the living room.

Emily's head was resting on the armrest of the couch as she lay there soundly sleeping. She had a blanket over her legs, was still dressed, and the TV was quietly flickering a late-night program she had dozed off on.

I stood there for a time, observing her. She appeared so calm, utterly oblivious to the mayhem going on all around us. Of the danger that hung over us both, of the lies I was telling. Nevertheless, I experienced a rush of remorse. This was not fair to her. Better than me.

I moved in closer, observing the rise and fall of her chest with each deep breath. The need to touch her and brush the hair out of her face tempted my fingers, but I restrained myself.

I was unable to pull her into this any more.

However, it was too late. There was no way out without risking everything, and she was already in too deep.