Lorenzo noticed.
"Matteo."
His security chief appeared almost immediately.
"Yes, sir."
"Bring the car around."
"Understood."
"And find out who that man is."
Matteo glanced toward the staircase.
"Already on it."
Lorenzo turned to Elena.
"Would you like someone to accompany you home?"
She hesitated.
"Why?"
"Because someone has already entered your apartment once."
Her face lost color.
Lorenzo noticed.
"That was not a hypothetical statement, was it?"
Elena shook her head.
"No."
"Then the decision is simple."
She looked at the business card.
"I don't want to owe you anything."
"You don't."
"People like you always expect something."
"People like me?"
She looked at his black suit.
His expensive watch.
The men who never seemed far away.
"You know what I mean."
Lorenzo did not argue.
"Then consider it a debt owed to your father."
Elena slowly picked up the card.
"All right."
***
The service corridor behind the ballroom was almost empty.
A waiter pushed a cart toward the kitchen. Somewhere behind the walls, an orchestra continued playing.
Elena walked beside Matteo.
Lorenzo followed several steps behind, speaking quietly into his phone.
When they reached the underground parking garage, Elena stopped.
A black sedan was waiting.
She looked at Matteo.
"Is this your car?"
"Yes."
"Where is Mr. Moretti?"
"Speaking with someone."
She glanced toward the elevator.
"I think I should leave."
Matteo opened the rear door.
"That is the idea."
Before Elena could get inside, a voice echoed through the garage.
"Miss Marin."
Adrian Voss approached from between two rows of parked vehicles.
His blue suit looked immaculate.
His smile was gone.
Two men followed him.
Matteo moved immediately, placing himself between Adrian and Elena.
"Step aside," Adrian said.
"No."
"This is a private matter."
Matteo looked at him.
"That seems to be your favorite sentence."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"Tell Lorenzo I want to speak to him."
"You can tell him yourself."
Adrian glanced toward the elevator.
At that moment, the doors opened.
Lorenzo stepped out.
He had removed his tie.
His sleeves were still buttoned, and his expression was unreadable.
"Adrian."
Voss exhaled.
"Finally."
Lorenzo approached slowly.
"What is it?"
"She has something that belongs to me."
Elena's hand moved instinctively toward her handbag.
Lorenzo noticed.
"What does she have?"
"Documents."
"Which documents?"
"Business records."
"Then perhaps you should explain why you need them."
Adrian laughed without humor.
"You don't understand what you're doing."
"I've heard that before tonight."
"You are interfering in something that doesn't concern you."
Lorenzo stopped a few feet away.
"Her father saved my life."
Adrian's expression changed.
Only briefly.
But it was enough.
"You remember Daniel?"
Lorenzo's eyes narrowed.
"Better than you expected."
Adrian shook his head.
"That man was a thief."
"Perhaps."
"He stole company property."
"Perhaps."
"He betrayed everyone who trusted him."
Lorenzo tilted his head.
"Then why are you so afraid of his daughter?"
Adrian said nothing.
The silence was answer enough.
Elena stepped forward.
"My father didn't steal anything."
Adrian turned toward her.
"You have no idea what your father did."
"Then tell me."
"You think this is a game?"
"No."
Her voice trembled, but she continued.
"I think you know what happened to him."
Adrian moved closer.
"Your father made a choice."
"What choice?"
"He chose the wrong people."
Elena stared at him.
"Did you kill him?"
Matteo's hand moved toward his jacket.
Lorenzo raised one finger.
Matteo stopped.
Adrian smiled.
"Be careful with accusations."
Elena's eyes filled again.
"Did you kill my father?"
Adrian leaned toward her.
"Your father should have learned when to stop asking questions."
Lorenzo stepped between them.
"That's enough."
Adrian looked at him.
"You cannot protect her forever."
Lorenzo's voice was quiet.
"I don't need forever."
He glanced at Matteo.
"Get her out."
Matteo opened the rear door again.
This time, Elena got inside.
Lorenzo remained beside Adrian until the car began moving.
Only then did he speak.
"Where is Daniel Marin?"
Adrian adjusted his cufflinks.
"Dead."
"Where?"
"Why does it matter?"
"Because I would like to know who buried him."
Adrian smiled.
"You still think this is about Daniel."
Lorenzo's expression did not change.
"What else is it about?"
Adrian leaned closer.
"Your father."
For the first time that night, Lorenzo's composure almost broke.
Adrian noticed.
He smiled wider.
"Ask Vittorio what happened eleven years ago."
Lorenzo stared at him.
"My father is dead."
"That doesn't mean he told you everything."
Adrian turned and walked toward the elevators.
Lorenzo did not stop him.
He was already thinking about a conversation he had not had in eleven years.
***
Elena watched the city pass through the tinted window.
Matteo sat in the front passenger seat.
A second vehicle followed them.
She held Lorenzo's business card between her fingers.
"Is he always like that?" she asked.
Matteo glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
"Like what?"
"Calm."
Matteo considered the question.
"No."
"What is he like?"
"Depends on the situation."
"Is he dangerous?"
Matteo did not answer immediately.
"Yes."
Elena looked down.
"Then why should I trust him?"
"Because he didn't ask you to."
She looked up.
Matteo continued.
"Mr. Moretti has many faults. But when he gives someone his word, he takes it seriously."
"Does he always protect people?"
"No."
The answer was immediate.
Elena frowned.
"Then why me?"
Matteo looked toward the windshield.
"Your father once protected him."
She stared out the window.
The city seemed unfamiliar.