Chapter 11 - BEHIND THE GATES OF COSTA ESTATE
The iron gates of the Costa estate swung open automatically as the SUV approached.
The sprawling stone mansion loomed over Lake Michigan like a medieval fortress.
Guards in tactical gear flanked every entrance.
As soon as the vehicle stopped, Clara rushed out onto the grand stone porch, guided by a nurse.
“Roman! Are you alright?” Clara called out anxiously.
“I’m fine, Mother,” Roman said, stepping out of the SUV and offering his hand to help Rebecca descend.
Clara turned her blind eyes toward Rebecca’s voice.
“Rebecca? Are you with him?”
“I am now, Clara,” Rebecca sighed, walking up the steps.
“Apparently, my apartment wasn't explosion-proof.”
Clara reached out, her gloved fingers gently touching Rebecca’s cheek.
“My son is a stubborn fool,” Clara murmured with a faint smile.
“But he protects what matters.”
Roman led them inside to a sprawling mahogany study lit by a roaring fireplace.
“You need to stay here while I handle Morena,” Roman said, placing his pistol on the desk.
“Handle him how?” Rebecca asked suspiciously.
“By ending this war once and for all,” Roman replied coldly.
“Morena thinks he holds all the cards because he has the financial records.”
“He doesn't know you have your mother’s diary.”
“And he doesn't know that my father’s original confession is hidden in this house.”
Rebecca’s eyes widened.
“A confession?”
“Signed and notarized before my father died,” Roman said, pulling a hidden wall panel open to reveal a heavy steel safe.
“It names Morena as the co-conspirator in every single syndicate murder on the eastern seaboard.”
Before Roman could enter the combination, a loud explosion rocked the estate.
Alarms wailed across the courtyard.
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The lights flickered and died.
Total darkness plunged the grand study into shadow.
