“So, you knew all of this when Sophie was attacked, and yet you didn’t say one word?” Sheriff asked.
“How could I? I had already disappointed my son by not giving him ownership of the estate. If I had filed a complaint, I would have lost him forever.”
Buzz banged the table in anger. “How can you be so thick, Antonio? How can you still protect him?”
Before he could question him further, a deputy opened the door in excitement.
“The tracking device was just turned on. We have a location.”
Alex rushed out of his room the same time as Buzz and Sheriff. We found you, Arianna. His heartbeat escalated.
“They seem to be in some sort of warehouse outside of town,” the deputy said.
“Assemble the whole team and let’s move out. Inspector Malcolm, I guess you’ll be coming with me?” Sheriff said.
“I’m coming too,” Alex said. “What? There’s no way I’m sitting here when Arianna is out there all alone.”
Buzz nodded.
“Keep Antonio Belmonte in custody until further orders. He is pending investigation,” the sheriff instructed.
They quickly got in the Sheriff’s car.
I’m coming for you, Arianna. I’m coming.
19
Arianna woke up feeling dazed and disoriented. She was bound and gagged in the back of a car. She tried to look outside and gauge where they were, but the van had tinted windows. I can’t see a thing here.
Her attention turned to a small wire peeking out of her tee shirt. I have a tracking device and a mic! He doesn’t seem to have noticed either of them. I’ve got to figure out if I can turn them on. But my hands are bound.
She struggled to get the ropes free, but they were tied too tight. I can’t move my hands at all. She groaned. This doesn’t look good.
The car stopped and a door slammed. He’s coming. Arianna’s heartbeat quickened. Her breathing hiked. What will he do to me? Will he hurt me like he hurt Sophie?
A harsh beam of sunlight hit her face when the door opened. She squeezed her eyes shut. I can’t see him. Who is he?
Her captor roughly pulled her out of the van. She knew resistance was futile. I’m bound, there’s nothing I can do.
They entered an abandoned warehouse and walked between a maze of crates. He seems to have this place completely mapped out.
Arianna saw a chair in the distance and knew he was ready for her. He pushed her onto the chair and untied her hands. He threw away the rope that bound her hands and walked to a corner, hunting for something among the mess there.
Now is my chance. Let me see, I’ve got to switch the mic and the tracking device on.
Arianna quickly switched the two devices on and then pretended to look confused. He returned with stronger rope and started tying her hands.
“Ouch, that hurts,” Arianna cried out in pain. She only got a laugh in response.
“Who are you?”
“Why, I thought after everything Antonio has done, you would know who I was.” He sneered. She tried to look behind, but he was too far away. She couldn’t crane her neck that far.
He stepped in front of her, and when the light fell on his face, she saw he was a handsome man. He was well built, but the look on his face scared her. He looked crazy, and she instinctively got the feeling he was going to hurt her.
“Papa hasn’t told me anything. Who are you?”
He walked up to her and moved her face so she looked in his eyes. He looked delirious, as if he had finally accomplished what he planned.
“I’m Niccolo, and I’m your brother.”
It wasn’t news to Arianna; at some level she knew that’s who he would be. But the admission coming from him made this truth even more real.
“I’m the son your father…” He stopped. “No, no, no. OUR father. He is our father, after all. I’m the son Papa never spoke about. I’m the Belmonte heir.”
I hope this equipment is functioning. I hope they can track my location and come to me.
“What are you talking about? We didn’t grow up with any brother.” Arianna feigned disbelief.
“It’s obvious you haven’t been told the truth about things. Don’t worry. I’m here to educate you about everything.” He looked smug, and in that moment, Arianna could see the resemblance to Antonio. Papa has the same smile when he knows he is right.
Arianna pretended to look surprised, hoping he would continue. Please come soon, Buzz and Alex.
A few police cars parked close to the warehouse. The sheriff commanded his men to surround the warehouse.
“Arianna is doing a fabulous job getting him to talk. Our recorder is recording all her conversations,” Buzz said.
“Sheriff, I think your men should be the ones keeping an eye on the ground. I will monitor from in here with Alex.” The two men nodded.
“My men will take this son of a gun out if needed. We’ll be on standby, waiting for your word.” Sheriff walked out. He instructed his deputies about the plan of action. Some of them plied open the warehouse doors and quietly slipped inside.
“These people are the Sheriff’s best marksmen. They’re going to find positions so that they cover Arianna and ensure she is not harmed,” Buzz said. Alex was grim. He wanted to go inside and run to Arianna and strangle Brian, but with Buzz around, he couldn’t. Besides, they had no confession from Brian yet, and if he didn’t play it right, the whole move would be a disaster. He waited in the car, tapping his feet nervously.
“I’m the Belmonte family’s bastard child, the child Papa never claimed as his own. When he couldn’t take care of me, he threw me away.”
“Okay, now that I absolutely do not believe. Papa always wanted a boy. I can’t believe he would cast you away like that.” Out of the corner of her eye, Arianna spotted something. She frowned. Are those the Sheriff’s men? She shook her head and stared at Niccolo, not wanting to give anything away.
“Oh, but he did. He did. When things got tough, he abandoned me. And then I was raised by one of the most powerful businessmen in the country. But I didn’t know he wasn’t my father.”
“Hold on a bit. Let’s rewind. If you were raised by someone else, and didn’t know he wasn’t your real father, then how did you come to know?”
Niccolo sneered. “Because I happened to overhear a conversation. I heard how my real father was so disgusted by my presence that he refused to even see me, and my adopted father handled everything. Can you believe it? Finding out your father isn’t your real father, and learning that you’re an unwanted child?” He crossed to reach Arianna and gripped her hand tightly. A sharp pain ran through her arm and she yelped.
“It hurts. Let me go,” she called out.
Alex squirmed in his seat. Buzz stared at him. “I know you want to rush inside and hurt him, but he could hurt Arianna that way. Do you want that to happen?” Alex clenched his fists and shook his head. They continued listening.
“It hurt me more than this hurts you. Can you now imagine how it feels to be unwanted? Can you?” he yelled. His voice echoed in the warehouse.
“I was a normal law school graduate, working for a prestigious firm. But this news, it shook me. I wasn’t able to cope. The pain was too much.” For a moment, she felt for him. His voice was raw and full of emotion.
“So, I decided to find out about my real father. In spite of my questioning, my father wouldn’t tell me who he was. But I got lucky. One day, I found a piece of paper hidden. It was an adoption deed. It had Antonio Belmonte’s name. I’m not stupid. I found a birth certificate in the name of Niccolo Belmonte that matched my birthday. I knew this was my real father.”
Niccolo paced around the warehouse, his steps frantic. He suddenly stopped and looked at Arianna. He was animated.
“And so, I visited him. I met him, right here, in this small town. I met him and asked him about making me a part of his family. And you know what he did? He threw me out. He refused.” His animated look was replaced by a look of pure hat
red.
“His son reaches out to him after so many years and all he does is push him away. Kudos to Antonio Belmonte for being the Father of the Century.” His tone was sarcastic, but Arianna could feel the pain behind his words. Her father was not a kind man and could be very caustic when he wanted. She had borne the brunt of that several times, and knew how burdensome it could get for someone who hadn’t lived with him for long.
“I feel for you, Niccolo. Papa can be a beast sometimes. I’m sorry for what happened.”
Niccolo harrumphed. He breathed in deeply, trying to rein in his emotions. That crazed and frantic look returned to his face.
“You may be sorry, but I’m not. His rejection drove me to become what I am today. His rejection made me Brian Trellis. He fueled a fire for revenge in me. I joined my adoptive father’s business and doubled the growth.”
“Who is your adoptive father, Niccolo, or should I call you Brian?” Arianna asked.
“Brian, please. Niccolo reminds me of my father and I want no connection to him. As for my adoptive father, he’s a stellar businessman. His name is Franco Moretti.”
Arianna was not surprised. She hoped the mic was recording all of this. I should ask him as many questions as I can so that there’s something useful for the police from this.
“You mean that Franco Moretti who’s involved in a case with the IRS?” Arianna innocently questioned him.
“So, you know about that as well. I should have guessed Alex would have spilled his guts out to you. Why do you think I continued working in Schneider & Pratt? So I could keep my father safe. The father who loves me.” Brian sneered.
“Huh? How would you keep Franco safe if you worked in Schneider & Pratt? I don’t get it.” Arianna was genuinely confused.
“Are you really as dim witted as Antonio is?” Brian smiled disparagingly. “Who do you think caused the leak that Alex has told you about?”
Arianna gasped. This was really unbelievable. The person who had almost ruined Alex’s life had also almost ruined hers. It seemed too coincidental to be true.
“I don’t care about that leak. That was my duty. I did my duty to my father. But what I really enjoyed was screwing over your father. I mean our father.” Brian seemed to mock her with his words. Arianna tried to not fall for his tricks but she couldn’t help feeling anger.
“What have you done, Brian?” she commanded.
“Don’t you dare raise your voice at me,” Brian screamed. His voice echoed.
“What have you done, Brian?” Arianna asked, a little more softly and gently this time.
“That’s better.” Brian cast her an appreciative look. “You can follow instructions. Good, good.”
He started pacing in front of her again. Arianna shifted uncomfortably. The ropes were hurting her and she couldn’t feel her wrists.
“As for the winery, all I did was force our dear father to sell it. To me. For nil consideration. And he did. Or he will. And with Sophie out of the way, nobody will come between me and the winery anymore.”
“Are you crazy? Are you telling me this was all a convoluted plot to take over our father’s winery?” Arianna was disgusted. Brian’s short sightedness made her want to slap him, but she was bound. How can anyone be so twisted?
“Yes, I thought when he retired, he would look out for me, he would hand over my share. He would show everyone our true relationship. But he eschewed his responsibilities. He forgot about his son. He forgot about me. I’m his successor and he handed over the winery to Sophie.” He spat out Sophie’s name.
“He never forgot about you. He never let Sophie forget about you. I can’t believe you’re linked to Alex’s problems and now to mine as well. You caused that data leak there. You put his job on the line. You conned everyone in his office.” She wanted to wring his neck for causing so much pain and trouble to everyone.
“Yes, yes, I did, sister.” Arianna shrank back when he used the term ‘sister’. She couldn’t believe she was related to this psycho.
“Don’t shrink back. That’s who you are. You’re my sister, aren’t you? Franco Moretti raised me. He gave me everything, an education, a childhood. And what did our father give me? Nothing.” He spat. Arianna stayed silent. I hope the mic is recording everything. I hope Alex and Buzz come soon.
“But Papa said you were taken away from him. Cut him some slack. How would he know where you were? You’re talking as if Franco was best buds with him.”
“That’s what you think. But you don’t know the picture. Why do you think he suddenly hated Sophie? Yeah, don’t look shocked. I’ve been watching you all for years. He hated her because he hated himself. And he hated me.” Brian was giddy narrating this.
“Come again? Why would he hate you? He’s been despairing your loss for a while.” Arianna felt contempt for her father. You knew this was your fault, Papa, and still, you punished Sophie for it.
“Because I blackmailed him.” Arianna shifted her attention to Brian.
“I blackmailed him to launder money for us. I paid him in cash for everything I sucked out of your business, and I got valid income to withdraw and spend on my operations. I’m Franco Moretti’s right hand man; I practically ran his trading operations. That’s why I got myself on the Moretti case. I joined Schneider and Pratt for work, but with their past record for helping in revenue investigations, I knew someday it would be helpful. And it was. I’m sorry your boyfriend was caught in the fire, but I’ve got all the evidence stacked against him. And he’s going down. And now, you’re going down too. First, I’m going to finish you off, and then I’m going to get rid of him too. And this time, I’m going to be smart. There’s going to be no body this time. No body, no crime.”
“You’ll never be able to do that. Alex is smart; he probably has you on his radar already,” Arianna snapped at him.
Alex felt a huge surge of love for Arianna. There she was, battling her life against this maniac, and she still defended him. He wanted to go and smash the living daylights out of Brian, but with Buzz by his side, he knew they were collecting valuable evidence through Arianna’s mic. How much of it would be admissible in court was another matter, but Buzz was confident this would work out.
“Can’t we go already, Buzz? He could harm her any minute.” Alex was getting restless.
“I have men stationed everywhere, Alex. We’re watching his every move. We need him to confess to the leak and to running Moretti’s business. Your girl is doing a good job in there getting him to spill his guts.” Alex sighed. Hang in there, Arianna. I’m coming for you.
They turned their attention back to the audio recorder. Brian was laughing that maniacal laugh again.
“Tell me one thing, Brian. Since you’re going to finish me anyway, I might as well hear what you have to say. How did you take over Moretti’s business? And is it true he runs a drug cartel?”
“You stupid woman. Say his name with respect.” Brian slapped Arianna. The ringing sound echoed in the warehouse. Alex clenched his fist.
“I took over his business the same way everyone takes over business. I earned it. Do you know the meaning of earning things the hard way? I had to work for years in the shadows proving my worth. You have no idea how large Moretti’s network is. Insider trading is the tip of the iceberg. Ever since I took up operations, it’s been a steady growth.”
“But what do you do, Brian? You seem like all gas and no talk. I can’t believe you’d expand his operations with a full time job on the side. That just sounds unbelievable,” Arianna taunted him.
Brian pointed his gun at her.
“You take that back. Do you want to know what I do? Who do you think is responsible for the stock market reaching such highs? It is my men and my network of people. I’m the one who has all the CEOs of Wall Street on my payroll. And together, we hit pay dirt. I have the customs in my pocket.” He patted his pocket and sneered at her.
“We smuggle paintings from rich fools. And now we’re on to a new business. Counterfeitin
g. We’re not into lowly jobs like drug cartels. Messy business. Franco and I are all into white collared stuff. And Marco is smart too. Marco handles all of our overseas earnings. Bet you don’t know what it means to have a nest egg where nobody can touch you. This is all honest business. There’s no law in the world preventing us from doing what we do. It’s our way of earning a respectable living in this world. But you wouldn’t know, would you? Someone who’s grown up on my father’s illegal earnings.” He spat on the ground.
Arianna thought either Brian was too confident in his skills or he was plain dumb. Who confessed everything he had done in this manner? Although finding proof would be difficult, she was sure what he said was more than enough proof to help Alex bring down the Morettis. All she hoped was for Brian to not lose his cool.
“Are we done playing twenty questions? Because now, I have somewhere else to go. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get rid of one loose end.”
He cocked his gun and held it to her head. Arianna stared back at him. A shiver ran through her.
“Let me go, you beast. This won’t end well,” she shouted.
Brian laughed. He sounds insane.
She didn’t have time to think much when a hard knock at her skull made her lose her balance. Stars danced in front of her eyes and her head felt wet. Brian had whacked her head with his gun. He aimed a kick at her and she grunted. Everything looked hazy. She heard a gun being cocked and knew these were her last few moments. She only hoped Alex would get to her on time.
A loud banging noise and a howling sound made her realize something had happened. She tried to open her eyes but she couldn’t see anything clearly. Was it her imagination or was Alex coming towards her?
“No, no, no. Arianna, please. No. Buzz, call the ambulance. She’s badly hurt. I told you we were waiting too long.” She heard fear in Alex’s voice and wondered why he was so scared.
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