THE MAFIA BOSS'S SECRET LEDGER

The drive to Pier 42 was swallowed in a tense, suffocating silence.

The rain had started, a cold Chicago downpour that turned the city streets into dark, reflective mirrors. I sat in the backseat of the SUV, typing furiously on my tablet. Camilla sat beside me, shivering in her torn ivory dress. Victor had insisted she come; leaving her alone meant Matteo’s men would find her and finish what they started.

Victor sat in the front passenger seat, checking the magazine of a heavy assault rifle. His shoulder was heavily bandaged, but the lethal, terrifying boss I worked for was fully back in control.

“I’m in the port authority mainframe,” I said quietly, the blue light of the screen illuminating my face. “Matteo is using a shell company called Apex Logistics to move his shipments. Once we get within range of the terminal’s local network, I can reroute the ownership of his cargo containers to the FBI’s seizure list.”

Victor looked back at me over his uninjured shoulder. “You do that, and Matteo loses millions in illegal cargo by sunrise. It’s the ultimate leverage. We trade the containers for Elian.”

Leo steered the SUV off the main road, the headlights cutting through the chain-link fences and rusted shipping containers of the abandoned dockyards. Pier 42 loomed ahead—a massive, decaying warehouse sitting directly on the edge of the black, churning water of Lake Michigan.

“Stop here,” Victor ordered.

We parked in the shadows of a towering crane, a hundred yards from the warehouse doors.

“Clara, stay in the car,” Victor said, his voice brokering no argument. “Keep the doors locked. Once the transfer is ready, send the signal. Leo and I will get the boy.”

Before I could protest, Victor and Leo slipped out into the pouring rain, melting into the shadows like ghosts.

I was left alone in the dark SUV with Camilla.

She stared out the rain-slicked window, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. “You love him,” she said quietly, her voice entirely devoid of its usual venom.

I didn't look up from the screen. “I work for him.”

“Don't lie to yourself,” Camilla smiled bitterly. “I know what it looks like when a woman is willing to die for Victor Romano. I used to be one of them. Before my father sold my soul to Matteo to pay for his Senate seat.”

Answer One, Open Two. Camilla hadn't betrayed Victor for money; she had been used as a pawn by her own father. It made me pity her, a feeling I never thought I’d have for the woman who had humiliated me.

But a sudden, sharp tapping on my window made my blood freeze.

I looked up.

A man in a black raincoat was standing outside the SUV, aiming a shotgun directly at the glass.

I gasped, dropping the tablet. The reinforced glass would hold against a handgun, but a point-blank shotgun blast to the window hinges would eventually tear the door off.

Before the man could fire, a massive shadow dropped from the crane above.

It was Leo. He landed directly behind the gunman, driving a combat knife into the man’s shoulder and dragging him into the darkness without a single sound.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I picked the tablet back up. 98%... 99%...

Transfer complete. Matteo’s cargo was officially flagged by the feds.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed. A text from Victor.

We have Elian. Perimeter compromised. Bring the car to the loading dock. NOW.

I threw the tablet onto the passenger seat and scrambled over the console into the driver’s seat. I had never driven an armored tank like this, but I slammed the gearshift into drive and floored the accelerator.

The SUV roared to life, tearing across the wet asphalt toward the massive open doors of the warehouse.

I drifted the heavy vehicle into the loading bay, slamming on the brakes.

Victor sprinted out of the darkness, holding a small boy tightly to his chest. Elian was terrified, crying softly, clutching Victor’s uninjured shoulder.

“Open the door!” Victor roared.

I hit the unlock button. Victor threw Elian into the backseat next to Camilla.

But as Victor turned to climb in, the warehouse flooded with blinding halogen lights.

Dozens of armed men stepped out from behind the shipping crates. Matteo walked out from the center, holding a megaphone.

“You aren't going anywhere, Victor!” Matteo’s voice boomed over the rain.

Victor raised his rifle, stepping in front of the SUV to shield us.

But the real horror didn't come from Matteo.

It came from the man walking out of the shadows right beside Matteo.