The Man Who Paid in Cash
Chapter 02 - The Man Who Paid in Cash
Luca Romano returned to Riverside Market on Friday morning.
He arrived without sirens, bodyguards in visible formation, or the black sedan shown on every news channel. He wore a charcoal coat over a bandaged shoulder and carried a plain white envelope.
The market became quiet as he approached Elena’s stall.
Elena continued arranging peaches. “You’re blocking the customers.”
“There are no customers within thirty feet of me.”
“That sounds like a personal problem.”
Luca placed the envelope on the counter. Inside were eighty-seven dollars and forty cents, exact change.
“You billed me for the tablecloth,” he said.
“It belonged to my mother.”
“You billed me for twelve pounds of lemons.”
“They belonged to me.”
“You did not bill me for saving my life.”
Elena met his eyes. “I didn’t save you for money.”
A faint smile touched his face. Then it disappeared.
“Tell me what you saw.”
Elena described the driver: medium height, gray jacket, wedding ring, and a small burn mark near his right ear. He had opened Luca’s door after the crash, looked toward the alley, and run before the second car appeared.
Luca’s expression hardened. His official driver, Tomas Vale, had worked for the Romano family for nine years. According to Luca’s security chief, Victor Dane, Tomas had been found unconscious two blocks away. The story made no sense if Elena had seen him running.
“Could you identify him again?” Luca asked.
“I already did.”
Elena took out her phone. During the confusion, she had photographed the damaged stall for insurance. In the background of one picture, a man in a gray jacket was moving toward a delivery van.
Luca enlarged the image. The man’s face was turned away, but the burn mark was visible.
“Send this to no one,” Luca said.
“I sent it to myself, my brother, and a cloud account.”
Luca looked surprised.
“I sell fruit,” Elena said. “I’m not careless.”
He warned her that the people behind the attack might return. Elena replied that closing the market would punish everyone except the attacker.
Before leaving, Luca placed a second envelope beside the first. It contained money for repairs.
Elena pushed it back.
“Insurance covers the stall.”
“Insurance does not cover danger.”
“Neither does cash.”
Luca studied her, then offered something different: two private guards positioned far enough away not to frighten customers. Elena agreed only after insisting they buy lunch from the vendors.
As he walked away, his phone rang. Victor Dane’s name appeared on the screen.
Luca answered.
Victor reported that Tomas had disappeared from the clinic.
Luca looked back at Elena, who was laughing with an elderly customer as though the most dangerous man in the city had not just stood at her counter.
May you like
Someone had tried to kill him.
Now that same person knew Elena had seen too much.
