Dishonorable

I guess I hadn’t realized the extent of this loss. It had never occurred to me we’d go from having everything to having nothing. I wondered if that had been what had aged my grandfather, because he did look older, his suit a little wrinkled, his hair not quite perfect.

“Gentlemen, would you step outside for a moment, please?” my grandfather said to the attorneys.

What?

Both men nodded, clearly knowing this was coming. They shuffled out of the room. Raphael cleared his throat, his gaze never leaving my grandfather, the suspicion in them evident.

Once the door had closed, Grandfather picked up his briefcase, which he had had alongside him on the floor, and set it on the table. He opened it and took out a large envelope, set the case aside, then looked at us.

“Raphael, you understand forty-five percent of nothing is nothing.”

“The property was insured.”

“Yes, however, with the arson investigation, nothing is clear.”

“Are you saying they can decide not to pay?” I asked.

“Well, it’s a large amount of money, so they’re using whatever they can to hold off on paying.”

“Because it was intentional,” I said, understanding. “They think it was done by someone who would stand to gain by a large insurance payout.”

“Guardia Winery has been a profitable company for a very long time. In recent years, sales have been down, but that was turning around.”

“What do you mean? Was the winery in trouble?” I asked.

“No, not in trouble, but revenues have been steadily declining over the last few years. That’s why I hired the new manager. He has modern ideas.”

“But—”

He held up a hand. “And with those modern ideas came the new security system he’d insisted we install.” Grandfather opened the folder and drew out a stack of papers along with a smaller envelope.

“What is this?” Raphael asked.

“I have a new contract, Raphael.”

“What?” I asked, glancing at Raphael, then back at my grandfather.

“Once the insurance pays out, there is no need to wait until Sofia is twenty-one to collect the funds. As manager of the trust, it will be up to me to pay it out to her, or in this case, to you, sooner.”

“But you said the payout is tied up with the investigation,” I said, realizing where this was going.

“It won’t be forever,” Grandfather said, sliding the paperwork toward Raphael. “A payout. A healthy one.”

I glanced at the paperwork, blinked twice at the number written there.

“It’s potentially more than the shares would have been worth, considering the winery’s decline,” Grandfather said.

Raphael skimmed the first page, then the second and third before setting it aside and waiting for my grandfather to continue.

“Annul the marriage, and the money is yours as soon as the insurance situation is sorted out.”

“What?” I asked, my heart dropping into my belly. I reached a shaking hand under the table to touch Raphael’s, which was remarkably, unsettlingly, steady. He didn’t pull away but took my hand in his.

“You want to buy her back?” Raphael asked, not once looking at me.

“Don’t be crass.”

“Crass? Being crass is at about the very bottom of my list of things I give a shit about right now, old man. What’s in the envelope?”

He pointed to the one my grandfather still held.

“A memory card.”

“And what’s on that memory card?”

“Evidence that it was Moriarty’s men who set the fire.”

“How?” I asked.

“The front gates had cameras installed. His men didn’t realize it. I don’t think Moriarty knew, since the security system was so new. Footage from the house would have been destroyed, but I have them coming and going at the time the fire started.”

“Why haven’t you given it to the police?” I asked.

Raphael sat back in his seat, studying my grandfather.

“Moriarty is very well connected in Italy,” Grandfather said.

“But he’s not above the law.”

“I’m afraid he just might be.”

“But you have proof!”

“And I’m going to use it to buy your freedom, Sofia.” He turned to Raphael. “Sign the contract, and you’ll have the memory card. The man doesn’t scare easily, but I have a feeling you’ll be able to convince him to wipe out your father’s debt and save your property.”

I turned to Raphael. This was what he needed. This would free him. This would give him exactly what he said he wanted at the church. To have this, to have the guarantee that Moriarty couldn’t hurt him or his family anymore.

Raphael shifted his gaze from my grandfather to me, but his eyes revealed nothing. My hand rested in his. His thumb drew circles in my palm.

The longer he took, the heavier the silence grew, the more tears welled in my eyes.

This was it.

Raphael and I were finished.

My grandfather cleared his throat and rose from his seat. “Five minutes, or the offer expires, and you can take your chances on the payout.” He buttoned his jacket. “I’ll be outside.”

We didn’t watch him go, and we didn’t speak for an eternity after the door closed.