THE ASHES OF HARBOR STREET

Julian’s footsteps echoed heavily against the marble floor as he approached the grand dining table. His hand hovered near his side, close to his holstered weapon.

Adrian stared at his most trusted confidant. The betrayal etched across the mafia boss’s face was profound. “Julian? You were the boy Renato protected?”

“Yes, boss,” Julian said, stopping a few feet from Vanessa. He didn't look at Adrian; he looked at the woman in the red silk gown. “Renato didn't just protect me from the families. He protected me from the people who actually set the fire.”

Vanessa let out a sharp, dismissive laugh. “This is a coordinated theatrical performance. Adrian, are you really going to let a bodyguard dictate the future of this syndicate?”

“I said, let him speak,” Adrian repeated, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper.

Julian reached into his pocket and pulled out a heavy, gold object. He placed it on the mahogany table next to the silver money clip.

It was a gold pocket watch. The glass face was shattered, the metal warped and discolored by intense heat. The hands were frozen permanently at 11:42.

Gideon’s breath hitched. “That was my Uncle Vincent’s watch.”

“It was,” Julian said. “Samuel gave me the forged warning to deliver to your mother. But before I reached the Bellini estate, I was intercepted in the alley behind the harbor. By the arsonists.”

I closed my eyes, remembering the blood on Julian’s torn shirt when he had arrived at my kitchen door. I had washed his wounds myself.

“They beat me to the ground,” Julian continued, his voice tight with long-suppressed trauma. “They told me that if I delivered the warning to the Bellinis, they would kill my little sister. They shoved this pocket watch into my hands. They told me to tell Helena that Vincent was already dead, and that if the Bellinis investigated the Laurents, they would burn our house down next.”

The room was deathly quiet.

“But you didn't give me the watch, Julian,” I whispered, staring at the ruined gold timepiece. “You only gave me the note.”

“Because I was a coward, Mrs. Bellini,” Julian said, tears finally brimming in his hardened eyes. “I was terrified. When you read the note and told me to run, I ran. I kept the watch hidden for eighteen years because I knew it was the only proof that the Laurents were at the warehouse before the fire department even received the call.”

Gideon looked at his mother. The anger in his eyes was slowly warring with a terrible realization. “You paid him to run, Mom?”

“I emptied my personal safe,” I admitted, the shame burning my cheeks. “I gave him ten thousand dollars and told him to leave the city. I thought I was saving a child’s life. I didn't know he was carrying proof of murder.”

Vanessa slammed her hands on the table, the crystal wine glasses vibrating.

“Proof?” she sneered. “A broken watch held by a disgruntled employee for two decades? That wouldn't hold up in a mock trial, let alone a federal court. This is a pathetic attempt to derail the peace agreement.”

Adrian looked at the pocket watch. Then he looked at Julian.

“Why now, Julian?” Adrian asked softly. “You’ve stood by my side for a decade. Why wait until tonight to bring this forward?”

“Because I didn't know you were going to marry her until a month ago,” Julian said, his voice breaking. “I didn't know you were going to sign the entire eastern port over to the Laurent family under the guise of a peace treaty with the Bellinis. She played you, Adrian. She played all of us.”

Vanessa signaled to her personal security detail standing by the windows. Two massive men in grey suits stepped forward, their hands reaching into their jackets.

“Adrian, this dinner is over,” Vanessa commanded. “We are leaving.”

Before the men could draw their weapons, Adrian moved with terrifying speed. He snatched a steak knife from the table and slammed the blade downward, burying it an inch deep into the mahogany table, directly through the leather folder containing the peace agreement.

“Nobody leaves this room,” Adrian said, his eyes blazing as he stared down Vanessa’s guards. “Julian. Open the watch.”

Vanessa went perfectly still.

Julian stepped forward. He picked up the scorched pocket watch and pressed his thumb against a small, hidden catch near the winding crown.