Chapter 9 - the wire in the wall
When Dominic returned to the Ravello mansion, the house was unnervingly quiet.
He didn't find Vivienne in the guest suite, nor was she in the study.
Dominic marched down the second-floor gallery toward Eleanor’s private wing. The door was slightly ajar.
Inside, Eleanor was sitting at her vanity table, carefully brushing her silver hair. In the corner of the room stood Vivienne, her arms crossed, completely dry, wearing a fresh black silk dress.
The two women were not fighting.
They were talking in low, urgent whispers.
Dominic pushed the door wide open. Both women turned to look at him instantly.
"You're out of your room," Dominic said to Vivienne, his tone dangerously flat.
"I let her out," Eleanor said, laying her silver brush down on the dressing table. "We have reached an understanding, Dominic."
Dominic looked between his mother and his sister-in-law. A deep, cold suspicion rooted itself in his chest. "An understanding? Two hours ago, she pushed you down a trapdoor to keep you quiet."
"That was theater for your men, Dominic," Vivienne said, her lips curving into a smug smile. "We needed a reason for you to clear the ballroom so the feds wouldn't execute their search warrants in front of five hundred high-profile witnesses. If the raid happened during the gala, the Ravello name would be ruined by morning."
Dominic stared at his mother. "Is this true?"
Eleanor didn't answer right away. She stood up, her frail hands smoothing the fabric of her burgundy blouse. "Dominic... there are things about this family you were deliberately shielded from."
"I am the head of this family!" Dominic roared, the sound rattling the crystal lamps on the vanity. "I took three bullets for this empire! I buried my father! I spent seven years carrying Julian's ghost on my back! And you're telling me you staged an attack with the woman who has been robbing us blind?"
"She wasn't robbing us, Dominic," Eleanor said, stepping forward, her eyes pleading. "She was laundering the assets to keep them out of your father’s legitimate accounts. Because your father wasn't just a boss. Vito was an informant for the Department of Justice."
Dominic stopped breathing.
The room seemed to tilt on its axis.
May you like
"You're lying," Dominic whispered.
"The cassette tape in your pocket," Vivienne said, pointing a manicured finger at his jacket. "Play it. Listen to your father’s voice bargaining with my brother. Listen to Vito offering to trade *you* for immunity."
