Chapter 15 The Man Behind the Fire #3
Nico's stomach tightened.
"Was he one of them?"
"Not exactly."
"What does that mean?"
"He was higher up."
Nico exchanged a glance with Gideon.
"How high?"
"Management level. He coordinated crews."
"Did he have the tattoo?"
"Not the full version."
Nico frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"He had the base design."
"Like the man in the photograph?"
"Yes."
Nico looked at the enlarged image.
"And the extra mark?"
Mara was quiet.
"That was used by people who had access to restricted areas."
Nico's pulse jumped.
"Restricted areas?"
"Control rooms. Service corridors. Equipment zones."
Gideon's expression changed.
"That's what I saw."
Nico looked at him.
Gideon was staring at the photograph.
"The man near the control room."
Mara continued.
"I don't know if everyone followed the rule, but that's what the mark meant."
Nico swallowed.
"So the tattoo may identify someone who had access."
"Possibly."
"Can you tell me who?"
Mara hesitated.
Then she said, "There was one man who used that mark more than anyone."
"Who?"
"I don't know his current name."
Nico frowned.
"His current name?"
"He changed companies."
"Do you remember the old one?"
"Calder."
Nico froze.
He looked at Gideon.
Gideon's face had gone completely still.
Mara continued.
"That's all I know."
The call ended.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Elena said, "Calder & Voss."
Gideon nodded.
"The company name."
Paul was already searching.
"The company was founded by Elias Voss and a man named Richard Calder."
Nico looked at the photograph.
The pieces were beginning to fit.
Fraudulent construction.
Safety shortcuts.
A manipulated inspection record.
A system placed in maintenance bypass.
Contractors with access to restricted areas.
A fire that destroyed the physical evidence.
And a tattoo marking membership in a contractor circle with access to those areas.
"This wasn't just about covering up one mistake," Nico said.
Elena looked at him.
"It was about protecting the entire project."
"And the companies behind it."
Paul nodded.
"Possibly."
Nico felt cold.
"What happened to Richard Calder?"
Paul searched.
"Retired from the company after the fire."
"Where is he now?"
"Unknown."
Gideon looked at Elena.
"Find him."
"We will."
Nico stared at the photograph.
Then another thought occurred to him.
"If I can identify the tattoo, so can someone else."
The room became quiet.
Gideon immediately looked at him.
"What are you thinking?"
Nico placed the photograph on the table.
"The person who sent the warning."
Gideon's expression hardened.
"They know we're investigating."
"They know about the photograph."
"They may know you identified the tattoo."
Nico nodded.
"Which means they may know exactly how we connected Voss to the warehouse."
Gideon stepped closer.
"We need to get you out of the studio."
Nico looked at him.
"No."
"Nico."
"No."
Gideon stopped.
Nico could see the old fear returning to his face.
But this time Gideon did not order him to leave.
He waited.
Nico appreciated the difference.
"I won't abandon the studio," Nico said. "It's my business. My life."
"I know."
"But I won't pretend there isn't a risk."
Gideon nodded.
"Then we'll increase security."
Nico studied him.
"Together?"
"Together."
The answer was immediate.
That mattered.
Nico looked at the photograph again.
The tattoo had started as a detail.
Then it became a connection.
Now it might become the thing that identified the person who had access to the warehouse's most sensitive areas.
But there was another truth beneath it.
Someone had spent years making sure people looked in the wrong direction.
Now someone was looking in the right one.
Nico's phone vibrated.
A new message appeared.
No number.
No name.
Only a photograph.
Nico opened it.
His blood ran cold.
It was a picture of Reyes Ink.
Taken from across the street.
The studio windows were visible.
So was Nico standing behind the counter.
The timestamp showed it had been taken less than ten minutes earlier.
Gideon saw the screen.
His expression changed instantly.
"Get behind me."
Nico did not move.
The old instinct in Gideon was already rising.
Protect.
Control.
Move the danger away.
But he stopped himself.
He looked at Nico.
"Are you okay?"
Nico swallowed.
"Yes."
Gideon nodded.
Then he took Nico's hand.
"We're calling Elena."
Nico squeezed his fingers.
"Yes."
They stood together while Elena reached for her phone.
The threat had changed.
It was no longer an anonymous warning from someone hiding behind the past.
Someone was watching them now.
Someone knew where Nico worked.
Someone knew what he had found.
And someone had just made it clear that the tattoo was more than a piece of ink.
It was a thread leading directly into the secret the fire had been meant to destroy.
Gideon looked at Nico.
Nico looked back.
Neither man stepped away.
The fire had taken six years from Gideon.
It would not take Nico.
Not because Gideon could guarantee his safety.
Not because he could control what happened next.
But because this time, they would face the danger with both eyes open.
Together.
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