Chapter 6 - The Desperate Dog
Deprived of his money, his status, and his freedom, Liam Vance became what all cowardly men become when backed into a corner: dangerous.
The federal indictment had officially dropped on Thursday morning. Liam was charged with eleven counts of wire fraud, grand larceny, and corporate embezzlement. The bail was set at five million dollars—cash that Vanessa Harrington’s father had flatly refused to provide. Liam was out on a temporary bond secured by his mother’s mortgaged retirement home, his ankle fitted with a GPS monitor.
He had twenty-four hours before his passport was surrendered.
I was at the Rossi Foundation gallery in Soho, overseeing the installation of an exhibition of contemporary photography, when my personal phone buzzed. It was an unknown number.
"Chloe," Liam’s voice wheezed through the speaker. He sounded unhinged, breathing heavily through his mouth. "You need to listen to me."
"Liam, don't call this number," I said coldly, signaling Marco who was standing by the gallery entrance. "This phone is monitored by Gabriel’s security team."
"He's using you, you stupid bitch!" Liam screamed, his voice cracking into hysterics. "You think you're safe with him? I found out who hired the hit on the highway! It wasn't me! It was his own family! His cousins want him dead, and when they come for him, they'll butcher you too!"
"You're lying, Liam. And you're violating your bail conditions."
"I have the ledger, Chloe!" Liam gasped. "The real ledger from the maritime shipments! The ones that prove Gabriel has been laundering money through the charity foundation you’re running right now! If I go down, I'm handing it to the FBI. You'll spend fifteen years in a federal penitentiary as his co-conspirator!"
My fingers tightened around the phone. "What do you want?"
"Meet me at the old pier warehouse in Red Hook. Alone. Bring two million in untraceable bearer bonds from Gabriel’s private safe. You know the combination. If I see a single Rossi tail, I upload the files directly to the Department of Justice."
He hung up.
Marco walked over, his expression grim. "Mrs. Rossi? Who was that?"
I looked at the black screen of my phone. For months, I had allowed Gabriel to fight my battles, to use his immense power to shield me from the consequences of Liam's treachery. But this was Liam's final, desperate attempt to drag me back down into the gutter with him.
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"It was Liam," I said quietly, meeting Marco's gaze with unwavering resolution. "He wants a meeting. Get Gabriel on the secure line. It’s time to end this once and for all."
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