Contents
Chapter 22
Overview
Ace calls Lorenzo and confirms a devastating truth: Lorenzo’s late father was involved in trafficking, though Lorenzo swears Ace was never part of it. Lorenzo orders a trip to New York to meet lawyer Nathan James for a new lead and to speak with Mia again. That night, Ace and Romeo seek comfort in intimacy, then Keres’s harrowing nightmare exposes deep-seated trauma, shifting Ace’s hostility toward guarded empathy.
Summary
Ace reports to Lorenzo that Boone yielded no location for Mia and that Keres keeps her plans concealed. Pressed, Ace reveals Boone named Lorenzo’s father in trafficking. Lorenzo confirms his late father’s crimes but vows Ace never touched that business, asking Ace and Romeo to keep the revelation quiet.
Lorenzo directs Ace and Romeo to New York to see lawyer Nathan James for a lead by noon and to speak with Mia again in the morning. Ace ends the call burdened but committed to following the new trail.
Back in the motel room, tension flares with Keres over questions, then Ace and Romeo relieve stress through an intimate encounter, further cementing their bond amid rising pressure and guilt.
In the night, Keres erupts into a terror-filled nightmare, pleading for it to stop. Recognizing the primal fear he once heard from Romeo, Ace wakes her gently and soothes her back to calm, glimpsing the vulnerability beneath her armor.
Afterward, Ace and Romeo reflect on Romeo’s past abuse and nightmare history, recalling how their relationship began when Ace first comforted him. The memory underscores their trust and nudges Ace toward compassion for Keres’s likely traumatic past as they prepare to pursue the New York lead.
Who Appears
- AcePOV; calls Lorenzo, learns about Lorenzo’s father’s trafficking, plans New York lead, comforts Keres after nightmare, deepens bond with Romeo.
- RomeoAce’s partner/lover; joins New York plan, shares intimacy with Ace, worries for Keres, recalls his own abuse and nightmares.
- KeresVigilante ally/antagonist; withholds Mia’s location, clashes with Ace, suffers a terrifying nightmare that exposes buried trauma.
- Lorenzo MorettiBoss; confirms his late father’s trafficking history, assures Ace’s innocence, orders New York meeting and renewed contact with Mia.
- MiaKidnapped leverage; Ace spoke to her earlier, Ace is told to contact her again as they pursue a new lead.
- Nathan JamesLawyer contact in New York; expected to provide a new lead by noon.
- Jeremiah BooneDead source; his mention of Lorenzo’s father triggers the trafficking revelation.
- Lorenzo’s fatherDeceased Moretti patriarch; revealed participant in trafficking, secret to be closely held.