Chapter 14 - THE COUSIN WHO WANTED THE THRONE|
Adrian descended slowly, one hand holding the gun and the other resting against the railing.
He wore an expensive navy suit and a silver watch Camille recognized from the auction photographs. He looked like a man who belonged at a board meeting, not in a dark archive beneath an abandoned customs station.
“Put the weapon down,” Gideon said.
Adrian smiled.
“You always did mistake confidence for authority.”
“You know what the ledgers contain.”
“I know what you think they contain.”
Camille stepped beside Gideon.
“Your father was part of the Harbor Circle.”
Adrian's eyes moved toward her.
“Camille Tibido. The famous cleaning woman.”
“That's not my name.”
“No. Your name is the reason we're here.”
He looked at the open chest.
“Give me the notebooks.”
Gideon did not move.
“You killed Matteo.”
Adrian's smile faded.
“My father made decisions.”
“You were there.”
“I was seventeen.”
“You helped him.”
Adrian's face tightened.
“I helped preserve the family.”
“You helped destroy it.”
Adrian raised the gun.
“Enough.”
Tobias shifted slightly, looking for an opening.
Adrian noticed.
“Don't try it, Tobias. I have men outside.”
Camille glanced at the staircase.
“How many?”
“Enough.”
“Then why are you down here alone?”
For the first time, Adrian hesitated.
Camille continued.
“You could have sent them down to take the ledgers. But you came yourself. That means you need something from Gideon.”
Adrian stared at her.
“You think you're clever.”
“I think you're frightened.”
He stepped closer.
“You have no idea what this family has sacrificed.”
“I know what my father lost.”
Adrian's jaw flexed.
“Your father was a fool. He could have been rich.”
“He wanted the truth.”
“He wanted to play hero.”
“He wanted to go home to his daughter.”
Something in Adrian's expression shifted.
Gideon seized the moment.
He moved forward, knocking the gun sideways. The shot struck the ceiling. Tobias lunged, and the weapon skidded across the floor.
Adrian struck Gideon in the face and tried to reach the staircase. Camille grabbed the brass key from the table and threw it toward Tobias. It hit the floor near Adrian's foot, making him stumble.
Tobias tackled him.
The struggle ended with Adrian pinned against the wall.
Gideon wiped blood from his lip.
“Where is Marcel Duval?”
Adrian laughed.
“Dead.”
“My father said the obituary was false.”
“Your father believed many things.”
“Where is he?”
Adrian looked at Camille.
“Ask her.”
Camille felt a chill.
“Why me?”
“Because your father left you the location.”
Gideon turned.
“What does he mean?”
Adrian nodded toward the notebook.
“The last page. Read the initials.”
Camille opened it.
The final entry contained a series of letters and numbers. At first they looked like shipping codes. Then she noticed the first letters of each line formed a name.
MARCEL DUVAL.
Below it was an address in a small town outside Baton Rouge.
Gideon stared at Adrian.
“You knew where he was.”
“I knew he was alive.”
“Why didn't you find him?”
“Because he knows what happened to Matteo. And he knows who ordered it.”
Gideon leaned closer.
“Who?”
Adrian's smile returned.
“Your mother.”
The room went silent.
Gideon stared at him as though he had spoken in a language no one understood.
May you like
Adrian looked directly at Camille.
“Now you see why your father disappeared. He didn't just uncover a criminal family. He uncovered a family that would do anything to protect itself.”
