Page 160 of Morally Corrupt

"A storm is brewing," he says.

I haven't told him about Andrew being Jimenez… mostly because Adrian had asked me not to, and I want to honor his wishes.

It's hard because I've never had any secrets with Vlad, but my allegiance will always be Adrian's first and foremost.

Over the past few days, I've been running some errands and fixing things up at the foundation for the new director to take over.

Then, I realized the same car I'd seen when I got Mally is always in my side mirror.

I'm on the way back home when I suddenly decide I've had enough.

I hit the brakes and wait a second for the other car to do the same. I then get out and go over, ready to demand an explanation for the stalking.

I knock on the driver's window and wait.

Nothing.

I knock again.

Slowly, the window rolls down to reveal a scarred face I'd last seen in Atlantic City. My hands immediately go to my gun, but it's too late, as I feel a cloth covering my mouth. I struggle as best as I can before darkness takes over.

49

ADRIAN

"The real Andrew Gallagher died at age twelve in Belfast," Marcel voices aloud what I'd been suspecting of a while now. "I have some connections in the UK, and they sent a copy of his death certificate. He would have been fifty-eight now."

We're at his apartment in Chelsea. In all the years I've known Marcel, I can count on one hand the times I've been to his apartment.

It's a sleek, modern, one-bedroom apartment that could belong to a showroom for its bareness. I've always marveled at the minimalist style that Marcel seems to adhere to. We're now in his living room, reviewing some old case files, and trying to make sense of the entire situation.

"So, he stole Andrew's identity," I say, dropping one of the files I'd been skimming through on the desk. "Interesting, though, that Quinn referred to him as his uncle," I add, stroking my jaw pensively.

"At this point, we can only infer that there's some sort of relation between Jimenez and the Gallaghers."

"They acted too fast against the Agostis. They must have realized we knew something."

The attack on Enzo and Rocco had been smartly timed. Both of them had been present in an open space with a lot of people around. With Enzo still in the ICU, it's only a matter of time until the Agosti business falls to Jimenez.

"If Enzo dies, the Agosti territory will be up for grabs."

"The Marchesi are also swiping in to try to salvage what they can. I've had reports that Enzo's wife is already giving orders as Capo. Plus, her family landed in the States the day after the attack."

"It's not going to be pretty. I wouldn't want to be Enzo… if he survives." I grimace at the thought. For all my dislike of Enzo, I can only imagine his reaction at waking up to find his father dead, his partners betraying him, and his wife reaping the benefits of his own demise… Too many betrayals at once.

"You said that Bianca met Jimenez's son." Marcel shuffles some papers, looking for something specific.

"Yeah. Odd considering none of our intel has ever alluded to the existence of a son. From what Bianca told me, he's in his early thirties and has a defining scar on his right cheek. I've already done a partial search in the police database, but so far, I got nothing."

"Look at this."Marcel shows me a profile photo of a man with a scarred cheek.

"What's this?"

"When you described the guy to me, I had my doubts but decided to look into it. He's not in the database because he's never been convicted, but we had a case come in almost three years ago, and this guy was the main suspect. A few women came forward with rape allegations against him. Some of the testimonies had holes in them, so he got away."

"What piqued your curiosity about him?" I ask, knowing there must be a reason why Marcel is showing me this.

"I remembered him from my days as a prosecutor. I was the one handling his case, so I met the guy. Nasty piece of work, no remorse. That he got away on mere technicalities guts me… His name is Carlos Delgado, thirty. Mother was Elena Delgado, father unknown."

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