Chapter 7 - The Confession
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Nell hesitated, her hand hovering over her pocket. She had spent her entire life hiding from the men who killed her father. Now, she was locked in a room with the son of the man her father had failed to save.
“If I show you this,” Nell whispered, “you have to promise me something.”
Rafe leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Name it.”
“My brother, Toby. He’s seven years old. He’s staying with my aunt in South Boston. If anything happens to me, you make sure he is safe. You make sure he never goes hungry, and you make sure Bruno never finds him.”
“You have my word,” Rafe vowed, his voice dropping into a solemn, unshakeable register. “I protect what is mine.”
Nell slowly pulled the folded paper from her pocket and handed it to him.
Rafe unfolded the ledger. As his eyes scanned the meticulous handwriting, the exhaustion on his face vanished, replaced by a cold, terrifying fury. His jaw clenched so hard a muscle feathered beneath his skin.
“He killed my father,” Rafe breathed, the words tasting like poison. “Bruno paid Teddy to cut the brakes.”
“My father found the financial discrepancies,” Nell explained, tears finally spilling over her lashes. “He tried to build a case. But they found out. They ran his car off the road two weeks later.”
Rafe stood up, his massive frame radiating an almost overwhelming, lethal energy. He paced the length of the room, his mind working with terrifying speed.
“You’ve been carrying the execution warrant for three of the most powerful men in Boston around your neck,” Rafe said, turning to look at her. “Why did you come to work here?”
“I needed to know the truth,” Nell said, standing up to face him. “I needed to know if you were part of it. If you were the monster they said you were.”
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“And what have you concluded?”
“You’re not a monster,” Nell said softly. “You’re just surrounded by them.”
