Chapter 31 A pawn, not the master
Rafael
The mask came off in my hands.
And I froze.
It was Diego. One of my guards. Who I’d hired five years ago.
"Diego?" My voice was barely a whisper.
He smiled up at me, blood trickling from his mouth where I'd hit him.
"Surprise."
Rage exploded through me. I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall.
"You killed Eva!" I roared. "You've been manipulating me this entire time!"
"Yes," he choked out. "All of it."
I threw him to the ground. He landed hard, gasping for air.
Flora stood frozen by the desk, her eyes wide with shock.
"How?" I demanded. "How does a guard have the money to fund a twenty-three-year genetic experiment?"
Diego laughed. It was a horrible sound.
"You think I'm just a guard?" He pushed himself up. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."
I pulled out my gun and pointed it at his head. "Then tell me, right now. Or I'll blow your brains out!"
"Do it," he said. "Go ahead. Kill me. But you'll never know the truth."
My finger tightened on the trigger.
"Rafael, wait!" Flora's voice cut through my rage. "We need answers. If you kill him now, we'll never know who else is involved."
She was right. But God, I wanted to pull that trigger.
I lowered the gun slightly. "Talk. Now."
Diego wiped the blood from his mouth. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything. Who hired you? Who's the real Architect?" I asked.
He laughed again. "I am the Architect."
"Bullshit!" I kicked him in the ribs. He doubled over, coughing. "You're a guard. Five years ago you were drowning in debt to an Italian mob. I bought you and saved your pathetic life. And this is how you repay me?"
"You're right," Diego gasped. "I am nobody. But somebody saw potential in me."
"Who?"
"Can't tell you that." He grinned through the blood. "That would ruin the fun."
I pressed the gun to his temple. "Last chance."
"You won't kill me," he said confidently. "Because you need me. Without me, you'll never find the real puppet master."
"So you admit you're not the Architect?"
His smile faltered for a second.
"You're just a pawn," I said slowly. "Someone paid you to play this role."
Diego's eyes flickered. "No," he said quickly. "I'm the Architect. I created Flora. I killed Eva. It was all me."
But his voice lacked conviction.
I looked at Flora. She was staring at Diego with narrowed eyes.
"He's lying," she said. "Look at the files. The Architect spent millions and decades of planning. Someone like him..." She gestured at Diego. "He couldn't even dream of that kind of money."
"You don't know anything!" Diego snapped.
"I know you're terrified," Flora said. "Look at you. You're shaking. Not because of Rafael. Because whoever hired you is going to kill you for failing."
Diego went pale.
"That's it, isn't it?" I grabbed him by the collar. "Someone threatened you and paid you to pretend to be the Architect."
"No..."
"Who is it?" I shook him. "Who's the real Architect?!"
"I can't... they'll kill me..."
"I'll kill you right now if you don't talk!"
"They'll kill my family!" Diego screamed. "They said if I don't do this, they'll torture them in front of me before they kill me!"
The room went silent.
Flora walked over slowly. "Who threatened you?"
Diego's eyes filled with tears. "I don't know. I never saw their face. They called me three months ago. They said I had to play the Architect when the time came and die for it."
"Die for it?" I repeated.
"They said you'd kill me. And that would be the end of it. You'd think you'd found the villain. Case closed."
Diego looked up at me with desperate eyes. "Please. Please don't kill me. I have kids. They're innocent."
I wanted to believe him. But trust was a luxury I couldn't afford.
"How were you supposed to know when to act?" Flora asked.
"They've been watching. They told me when Flora went to meet Isabella. The time she'd be in the library. And they told me exactly what to do."
"So someone in this house is feeding them information," I said.
Diego nodded. "Yes. They know everything. You can't hide from them."
"Who else knows about this?" I demanded.
"No one. Just me. They made sure I was alone in this."
I looked at Flora. She looked back at me.
"He's telling the truth," she said quietly.
I wanted to disagree. And make him the villain. But it wasn't simple.
"If you're not the Architect," I said slowly, "then who is?"
"I don't know," Diego whispered. "I swear I don't know."
I raised the gun again.
"Wait!" he screamed. "Wait! There's... there's something else!"
"What?"
"The caller. Their voice was distorted. But there was something in the background. A sound. Like... like church bells."
"Church bells?"
"Yes. Every time they called. I hear the bells. I was a musician. I recognize patterns. It was always the same. Three bells with high, low, medium pitch."
Flora pulled out her phone. "There are dozens of churches in the city."
"But there's only one Rafael goes to," Diego said.
My blood turned to ice.
"San Marco Cathedral," I whispered.
The church where I'd married Eva. Where I'd mourned her. Where I still went every year on the anniversary of her death.
"Someone at the church?" Flora asked.
"Or someone who lives near it," Diego said. "Close enough to hear the bells every day."
I thought about it. About who lived near San Marco Cathedral.
And my mind raced through possibilities. But nothing clicked.
"Rafael?" Flora's voice was urgent. "Do you know who lives near the cathedral?"
"Several people," I said. "Business associates. Family members. It could be anyone."
Before I could think further, Diego started laughing.
"What's so funny?" I growled.
"You," he said. "You're so close but you still don't see it. They said your guilt would blind you. And they were right."
"What does that mean?"
Diego's smile turned sinister. "It means while you're here trying to figure out puzzles, they're already executing the final phase of the plan."
"What plan?"
"The one that ends with Flora dying."
I grabbed him by the throat. "What's the final phase?"
"You... you're choking me..."
"I'll do worse if you don't talk!"
"They're... they're at the estate..." Diego gasped. "Right now... they're there..."
"Who's there? Who's at my estate?"
"The Architect."
His words sent ice through my veins.
I looked at Flora. "We need to get back. Now."
"But what about him?" She gestured to Diego.
I didn't hesitate. I pulled the trigger.
The gunshot echoed through the room. Diego's body jerked once, then went still.
Flora gasped. "Rafael!"
"He was going to die anyway," I said coldly. "And we don't have time."
I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. My phone was already in my hand, calling Marco.
It rang once. Twice. Three times. No answer.
"Marco's not picking up," I said, my stomach dropping.
Flora's face went white. "Rafael, what if..."
"Don't say it."
But we were both thinking it.