Chapter 9 - THE MEETING THAT NEVER HAPPENED
Dante arranged a false meeting schedule and allowed only a handful of people to see it. The location was an empty conference room in a building owned by one of his legitimate companies.
The schedule named a different route for the families being protected.
The real route was kept in a sealed file held by an independent attorney.
At eight that evening, Dante entered the conference room with Marco. He wore no tie.
Peter Sloane arrived ten minutes later.
“Dante,” he said, smiling. “I was told we needed to discuss the relocation.”
“We do.”
Sloane placed his briefcase on the table.
“Lorenzo said there had been a security problem.”
Dante watched him.
“Lorenzo says many things.”
Sloane opened the briefcase. Inside was a folder containing the false schedule.
“You'll want to change the departure time,” he said. “The route is exposed.”
Dante remained still.
“I never gave you the route.”
Sloane looked up.
For one brief moment, his expression revealed everything.
Then he reached for the folder.
Marco moved first, placing a hand over it.
“Leave it.”
Sloane stood.
“You don't understand what you're doing.”
“I understand exactly what I'm doing,” Dante replied. “You sold information about people who trusted us.”
Sloane's face hardened.
“Your father made promises he couldn't keep. I found a way to protect the people who mattered.”
“By selling their locations?”
“By making a deal.”
Dante's voice dropped.
“Who with?”
Sloane looked toward the door.
Two security officers entered.
He said nothing more.
Later that night, the investigators recovered messages connecting Sloane, Lorenzo, and Sabrina to the company that had received the microphone's transmissions. The evidence also revealed that the three had planned to sell the real relocation schedule to a rival organization.
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Lorenzo was found at a hotel outside the city. He was taken into custody without a confrontation. Sabrina agreed to cooperate and provided the passwords needed to access the remaining records.
The threat to the families was stopped before the real route was compromised.
