Chapter 13 - The Confrontation
Thirty minutes later, Tessa stood in the top-floor private dining suite, looking out over the Mississippi River. Ronan sat at the mahogany table reviewing shipping manifests, but the moment she walked in, he sensed the shift in her energy. He immediately set his papers down and stood up.
"What happened?" Ronan asked instantly, crossing the room to her side. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Without a word, Tessa pulled the folded legal letter and the micro SD card from her pocket and placed them on the table.
Ronan’s eyes dropped to the paper. He recognized Eda’s handwriting immediately. As his eyes scanned the typed words and the name at the bottom—Arthur Fletcher—all the warmth drained from his face, replaced by a cold, terrifying stillness.
"Fletcher," Ronan whispered, the word sounding like a death sentence. "For fourteen years, that rat has worked under my roof. He helped Moretti’s men slaughter my family, and then he watched me every single day, playing the loyal servant."
"He didn't know Eda survived with that evidence," Tessa said urgently. "And he doesn't know we found it. But if he realizes we know, he'll run—or worse, try to finish what he started fourteen years ago."
Ronan didn't hesitate. He pulled out his encrypted satellite phone and dialed Marcus Vance’s direct line.
"Vance. Get three teams down to the main floor immediately. Lock down all exits. Detain Arthur Fletcher quietly—do not let him reach his office, do not let him touch his phone."
"On it, boss," Vance’s voice barked over the speaker before the line clicked dead.
Downstairs, however, the trap had already begun to spring—not by them, but by the rat realizing he had been cornered.
Through the security monitors mounted in the corner of the private suite, Ronan and Tessa watched in real-time as Fletcher suddenly abandoned the reservation desk. His nervous posture vanished entirely. His movements became crisp, efficient, and lethal. He slipped a small, heavy object from his jacket pocket—a suppressed pistol—and ducked into the service hallway leading toward the basement loading dock.
May you like
"He's heading for the backup tunnels," Ronan growled, his jaw tightening. "Stay here, Tessa."
"Like hell I'm staying here," Tessa retorted, already grabbing a heavy metal rolling pin from the kitchen service lift. "He's connected to Eda's past, and he's running from mine. I'm coming with you."
