Part 2
The man never touched the gun.Gangs and organized crime
Marco Bellini , my head of security, intercepted him earlier.
A movement.
Kneel on the ground.
Kara’s wrist is immobilized.
Weapon set aside.
Not elegant at all.
Nothing cinematic about it.Real estate market
Efficient.
Camila screamed.
Sofie started to cry.
And that was all that mattered to me for the next ten seconds.
—Take him out.
—Vincent…
-Now.Men’s Items
Marco understood that he didn’t want the man being questioned in front of a child.
They lifted him up.
The stranger kept trying to speak.
—That wasn’t the case.
-After.
—Roman, listen to me.
-After.
The door closed.
The apartment fell silent.
Camila hugged Sofie.
The girl buried her face in his neck.
-Mother.
-I’m here.
—He had a gun.
Camila closed her eyes.
-I know.
I kept looking at the documents.
Something didn’t add up.
—Who is that man?
Camila raised her head.
—He said it came from the owner.
-Name.
—He didn’t give it to me.
—And these papers?
-Eviction.
-Not quite.
That
He looked.
-That?
I put a sheet of paper on the table.
—It says here that the building was transferred four months ago.
-Whom?
I showed him the name.
Lakefront Urban Renewal LLC.
Camila frowned.
—I don’t know that company.
I do.
Not directly.
But he knew the holding company that controlled it.
North Meridian Capital.
And one of North Meridian’s partners was Anthony Russo .
A man with whom I had been doing business for fifteen years.
Camila watched me.
—What does that mean?
I didn’t respond immediately.
—That the eviction might not be normal.
-Could?
-Yeah.
—And the gun?
—That’s not normal either.
Sofie raised her head.
—Are we going to lose the house?
Camila hugged her.
I looked at the jar of coins.
—Not today.
Camila turned towards me.
—Don’t promise her things.
—I’m not…
-Yeah.
His tone was firm.
Surprisingly composed for a woman who had just had an armed man in her living room.
—She believes everything
that adults say.
Don’t tell him we’re not going to lose the house if you don’t know.
I looked at her.
He was right.
I didn’t like it.
-Good.
I crouched down in front of Sofie.
—You don’t have to leave today.
-Tomorrow?
—I don’t know yet.
She thought.
—So my money isn’t enough?
I looked at the jar.
-No.
Camila closed her eyes.
Sofie lowered her gaze.
-But…
I added:
—That doesn’t mean it’s useless.
-So that?
—To remind us why we’re looking at this.
Camila looked at me differently.
Ungrateful.
Evaluating myself.
That was smarter.
The gunman’s name was Eric Nolan .
Former police officer.
Without an active private license.
Sporadic jobs as an “unemployment manager”.
A polite way of saying he was hired to intimidate difficult tenants.
The papers he was carrying were partially real.
That was the dangerous part.
The property had been transferred.
The warnings existed.
But the dates were manipulated.
The tenants had allegedly received
notifications that never arrived.
Some documents included dubious signatures.Book Historical Tours
And there was something worse.
Camila wasn’t the first.
Marco arrived with a folder two hours later.
I had taken Camila and Sofie to a small restaurant nearby.
Not just for safety.
The apartment was being inspected.
Camila didn’t want to go anywhere expensive.Renew Your Home
—I don’t want my daughter to get used to you paying for everything.
—It’s a meal.
—It starts like this.
-As well as?
—Rich people do one thing for you.
Then another one.
And one day they think they can decide for you.Check out articles on maternity
Silence.
Sofie was coloring.
I wasn’t listening.
I asked:
—Has this happened to you?
Camila laughed humorlessly.
—Do you want the short version or the one that ruins your dinner?Protect Your Data
—The real one.
—Then later.
Marco arrived.
—We have a problem.
-Other.
-Big.
He put several documents.Organize Family Photos
Lakefront had bought six buildings.
All in low-income neighborhoods.
In less than a year.
After
With each purchase, the evictions began.
Not for lack of payment.
Due to alleged structural renovations.
Then they renewed.
Rents were increasing.
They were selling.
—Gentrification—Camila said.
Marco looked at her.
-Yeah.
—That is not illegal in itself.
We both looked at her.
She continued.
—I worked in a law office before I had Sofie.
“Lawyer?” I asked.
-Assistant.
—So you understand documents.
—Enough to know that evicting people from a property you bought is not always a crime.
-Correct.
—So what’s missing?
Marco put another sheet of paper.
-Fraud.
In several cases, older owners had sold at strangely low prices.
Some claimed not to remember signing.
One was dead when he supposedly signed.
Camila stopped coloring with Sofie.
-Yes indeed.
-Yeah.
“Does Anthony Russo know about this?” Marco asked.
—Let’s find out.
I called Anthony.
I didn’t tell him why.
Only:
-Dinner.
-Today.
-Yeah.
-Problem?
-I want to see you.
—That sounds like a problem.
—At eight o’clock.
I hung up.
Camila looked at me.
—Is that how you talk?
with your friends?
-Yeah.History
—How exhausting.
Sofie raised her head.
—Mom says you’re a mobster.
Camila almost dropped the glass.
—Sofie.
-That?
I raised an eyebrow.House and garden
—Did your mom say that?
Camila blushed.
-Not quite.
—Yes, exactly —said Sofie.
-Thank you.
-You are welcome.
I had to look away to avoid smiling.
At seven o’clock Camila wanted to leave.
-No.
-No?
—The apartment may not be safe.Housing rentals
—I’m not going to sleep in one of their hotels.
—I didn’t offer you a hotel.
—It’s almost here.
-Have…
It stopped.
Camila raised an eyebrow.
-Forward.Sleep disorders
—A property.
-No.
—Empty apartment.
-No.
-Guesthouse.
—That’s worse.
-Because?
—Because it sounds like a nice jail.
Marco pretended to look at his phone.
I breathed.
—So what do you propose?
Camila thought.
-My sister.
-Where you live?
-Pica.
-Security.
-No.
—Camila.
—No men outside.
—There is someone armed involved.
-One.
-Two.
-One.
—One visible and one in a car.
He looked at me.
—He always negotiates.
—
Yeah.
-Annoying.Gangs and organized crime
-Also.
-Good.
-Made.
Anthony arrived at eight.
Forty-seven years.
Expensive suit.
Perfectly styled hair.Real estate market
One of those men who seemed relaxed because others were taking care of absorbing the consequences.
—Vincent.
—Anthony.
He sat down.
-What’s happening?
I put the folder.
His expression barely changed.
Just barely.
Enough.
—Lakefront.
—So what?
—It’s yours.
—I have a stake.
-How much?
—Thirty percent.
—Who manages it?
—Partners.
—Names.
He gave them.
Two strangers.
And one I know.
Samuel Voss.
My corporate lawyer.
I didn’t like that.
—Is Samuel involved?
Anthony leaned back.
-Legally.
—What does that mean?
—Draft operations.
—Do you know how they buy?
—I am not Samuel’s nanny.
—I didn’t ask you that.
Anthony looked at me.
-Because?
I put up a picture of Nolan.
—This man went to evict a woman.People and society
Armed.
Anthony remained still.
—I don’t know him.
—He works for Lakefront.
-Subcontractor.
—That doesn’t cleanse you.
—It doesn’t condemn me either.
He was right.
That was irritating.
—Did you know that
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