Carlo left the factory and headed to an abandoned house by the river outside of town, where he had stashed away some gold he'd saved over the years.
He was planning to run.
Not just because he feared Leo would silently take him out, but because he realized… they had already lost.
Those two smug Jewish men still believed the plan had failed because he had been incompetent.
They never considered that perhaps… their opponent had changed.
Just look at what happened yesterday.
Anyone capable of that level of precision and lethality could've made twenty of his men at the lumber yard "disappear" without a trace.
Carlo had no proof.
Over the phone, Rock had even yelled at him for "jeopardizing the plan over a love affair."
Carlo never thought he was a genius, but compared to the blind arrogance of Ben and Rock, he now felt like the only sane one.
So he decided to flee.
Yes, he loved Emily—madly. But he loved himself more.
Carlo hadn't lied to Johnny: Rock had indeed asked him to deliver something to Richmond.
It was a task Carlo had done many times—bringing furs or rare local goods to important men.
Every time, Rock would lend him his Cadillac, perfect for long trips and far better than Carlo's two rusty Ford Ts.
Carlo had it all planned out: take the car and head south.
Cross into Mexico.
He didn't know how wide Ben's reach was, but outside the U.S., he'd be safe. First disappear—then figure things out.
Thinking through this, Carlo walked into Rock's estate.
There it was—the familiar Cadillac, parked by the fountain.
He saw the "gift" in the backseat.
This time it was a large, oddly-shaped object that took up the whole rear compartment.
He turned to Rock with a puzzled look.
"It's a big one—animal bones. A senator in Richmond has a thing for that kind of stuff," Rock said, puffing on a cigar.
Carlo was surprised. Rock usually didn't bother explaining things.
"Here's the key. The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back," Rock said.
Carlo took the keys without hesitation. He had his own secrets, so he wasn't about to ask questions.
He got into the car and started the engine, even waving goodbye to Rock.
To be fair, Rock had treated him well.
Without Rock's support, he never would've risen to power across all of Campbell County in just four years.
He did feel a twinge of regret—not seeing the butler, his former teacher, one last time.
Wait a second…
Wasn't the butler always the one who handed over the keys?
And now Ben was here too?
Carlo instinctively raised his hand to wave at Ben—
But in that moment, he heard a sound behind him.
A familiar voice whispered:
"Hello, Carlo."
Before Carlo could react, a cord slipped around his neck.
A strong yank followed.
The thin, smooth wire sliced deep into his skin.
"Heh… heh… heh…"
Carlo couldn't speak.
His hands clawed at the wire, but it was too smooth, too tight.
He knew that voice—it was his old teacher, Rock's butler.
Carlo was choking, gasping for air.
He wanted to scream, to tell Rock he couldn't do this.
He wanted to say: "Leo is your enemy, not me!"
But all that escaped his chest was a voiceless moan.
His vision blurred. His mind played a flickering slideshow of memories:
— The abuse from his father.
— The joy of seeing his baby sister born.
— The despair of watching his mother and sister freeze to death before his eyes.
— The envy he felt seeing Leo with a loving, complete family.
— The envy of Leo's love.
— The time he killed a mother and daughter in the next town.
— Burning an entire family's farm to the ground.
— Gunning down Rock's enemies.
— Killing Dot.
— Dolores…
Mom… what have I done?
As death neared, Carlo's bowels gave out.
Feces and urine spilled.
To be sure the job was done, the old butler kept the wire tight for several more minutes.
Finally, he released the cord, coiled it up, and tucked it into his coat.
Carlo's body slumped onto the ground with a heavy thud.
A few minutes later, the butler rolled down the car windows to air out the stench.
"What a shame… it was a good car," Ben muttered, waving his hand in front of his nose.
"I was planning to replace it anyway," Rock said.
"Heimo, take care of it."
The butler—Heimo—nodded solemnly.
He hoisted Carlo's body onto his shoulder and silently walked toward the cherry grove behind the estate.
He knew this boy he once considered a protégé would now become fertilizer for a cherry tree.
No grave.
No tombstone.
"Your butler's getting old, but he's still got moves," Ben remarked.
"He used to ride the frontier in his youth," Rock said proudly.
"You don't mind I pushed you to take care of Carlo?" Ben asked.
"If you hadn't, I would've done it anyway.
Times have changed. Firing guns in town? Nobody's going to cover for him now.
He knew too much. If he got caught, I'd be in real trouble."
"That's fair. But we still need to give Patrick something," Ben said.
"That's why I left that idiot Johnny.
He doesn't know a thing—perfect to hand over as a scapegoat," Rock said with a grin.
"He saw both of us," Ben reminded, still a bit uneasy.
"He saw us, sure. But Patrick will believe a gentleman's word over a criminal's accusation," Rock replied, staring Ben down.
Ben looked away, feeling a flicker of unease.
He was beginning to realize…
Rock was far more dangerous than he had imagined.
Back at the house, Leo chuckled.
"Was I a bit too loud last night?"
Emily blushed fiercely in his arms.
"Don't tease me…"
She weakly pounded on his chest.
Last night's storm had left her trembling like a broken sapling.
"Darling, it was only a little loud. And besides, I'm sure Mama is just happy for us."
As if on cue, Maria's voice rang from outside the door:
"Leo, Emily—breakfast is ready!"
"You beast," Emily mumbled. "I can't even move. You go explain to Mama Maria!"
Leo opened the door—and found Maria already standing there.
She held a tray of food and scowled at him.
"This is for Emily. You really have no sense of restraint."
She shoved Leo aside and marched into the room.
Leo was speechless.
To be fair, he wasn't the one who insisted on "riding the dragon" halfway through.
Now the knight was passed out—and blaming the dragon?
"Oh, right. Desmond came by early. Said you two had plans," Maria's voice called from inside.