Chapter 7 - THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE
For three agonizing hours, I watched the monitors. The villa was a warzone. I saw Alessandro's men fiercely defending the estate, pushing back the combined forces of the Romano and Ricci families. Alessandro himself was a force of nature, a shadow of death moving through the courtyards, eliminating the traitors with cold precision.
While watching, my eyes caught a blinking light on one of the computer terminals in the bunker. It was Alessandro's tech desk. The decryption program that had been running on the flash drive from the blue rabbit had finally reached 100%.
A window popped up on the screen. It was an audio file. With trembling hands, I put on the headphones and pressed play.
It was my husband's voice.
"If anyone finds this... my name is Thomas Bennett. I work at the docks for the Moretti family. I didn't mean to stumble into this. But I saw Don Ricci meeting with the Russians. He's selling out Alessandro's shipping routes. He's planning a coup to take over the syndicate. They spotted me. I know I'm a dead man. I'm putting the Russian manifests and Ricci's offshore accounts on this drive. I'm hiding it in Emma's toy. Clara... my beautiful Clara. I'm so sorry. I love you. Protect our girl."
Tears streamed down my face. Thomas had been a hero in his own right, trying to do the right thing. He wasn't a criminal; he was collateral damage in a war of monsters. And Don Ricci was the man who had torn my family apart.
Rage, pure and blinding, replaced my fear. I wiped my tears, looking at the security monitors. The fighting was dying down. The Romanos were retreating. But I saw Don Ricci, flanked by his remaining elite guards, slipping toward the helicopter pad at the rear of the estate. He was trying to escape.
I couldn't let him get away. I couldn't let the man who murdered my husband live.
May you like
"Emma, stay right here," I told my daughter, handing her a tablet with a cartoon playing. "Do not move."
I grabbed a small, compact handgun from the weapons rack, remembering the basic safety lessons Thomas had taught me years ago. I hit the door release.
