Chapter 2 - The Account List That Made Chicago's Most Powerful Men Nervous
At 6:40 the next morning, Gabriel Romano entered his private office and placed his phone on the desk.
Nico Bellini stood opposite him, carrying a folder containing the preliminary report from the parking garage.
“Christopher Lane has been released to investigators for questioning,” Nico said. “The police have the security footage, his weapon, and Anna's statement.”
“Good.”
“They also recovered messages from his phone.”
Gabriel opened the folder.
One message had been sent at 11:38 p.m.
The laptop. The list. No excuses.
Another had arrived several minutes later.
If she refuses, make sure she understands what happens to people who disappoint us.
The sender used an encrypted account associated with a company registered to Anthony Rizzo.
Gabriel read the messages twice.
“Is Anthony operating independently?”
“We don't know. His father, Vincent Rizzo, usually handles these arrangements.”
Vincent Rizzo had controlled a powerful criminal network for decades. He preferred using legitimate businesses, financial intermediaries, and influential allies to direct operations from a distance.
He rarely appeared in public when something went wrong.
That was what made him dangerous.
Gabriel had spent years negotiating an uneasy peace with the Rizzo organization. Their businesses overlapped in transportation, construction, and property management. Both sides knew that open conflict would attract attention from law enforcement and destroy assets neither could easily replace.
But a direct threat against a woman in Gabriel's building was a different matter.
“Find out who disabled the cameras,” he said.
“Nico?”
“The security employee whose access code was used. I want to know whether he was paid, threatened, or working for someone else.”
Nico nodded.
Gabriel opened another document.
It listed the fourteen companies Anna had been investigating.
Five were linked to shell entities that had appeared in earlier compliance reviews. Three had received payments from a construction consortium associated with the Rizzos. Two had been used to purchase properties through intermediaries.
The remaining companies had little obvious connection to one another.
But their payment schedules shared a peculiar pattern.
Transfers were made late on Thursdays, then reversed on Mondays. Several accounts showed unusually large withdrawals immediately before routine reviews.
Gabriel recognized the design.
It resembled a system used by his own organization years earlier, when his father had controlled the business.
He had spent the last five years removing those practices from his legitimate companies.
Someone had continued using them.
“Who else knew about the freeze list?” he asked.
“According to Anna's department, five authorized employees. We have names for four so far.”
“And the fifth?”
“A senior investigator who resigned last month.”
“Find them.”
Nico hesitated.
“There's something else.”
Gabriel lifted his eyes.
“The person who requested Anna's parking space change two weeks ago used a security account linked to our commercial operations division.”
Gabriel's expression hardened.
“I ordered that change.”
“Yes. But someone accessed the file afterward and copied the updated parking information.”
“So someone inside the building knew she was under observation.”
“Correct.”
Gabriel leaned back.
He had built his organization on the assumption that information was more valuable than force. Yet information was only useful when he knew who possessed it.
Someone had accessed his security system.
Someone knew Anna's work schedule.
Someone had convinced Christopher that the account list could be traded for his freedom.
Those were not three separate problems.
They were parts of the same operation.
“Bring me the access records,” Gabriel said. “Every entry, every alteration, every remote login.”
“What about Anna?”
Gabriel looked toward the window.
“She has made her statement. Her employer has been informed. We do not approach her again unless she asks for help or there is a direct threat.”
Nico studied him.
“You're being unusually careful.”
“Because she is not one of my employees, and she did not ask to become part of this.”
“You could assign a discreet guard.”
“I could also send a message that makes her feel watched. She has spent enough time with a man who confused control with love.”
Nico's expression changed slightly.
He had known Gabriel long enough to understand that the comment was not casual.
“Understood.”
At 8:17 a.m., Anna arrived at her office with two security officers.
Her employer's compliance director, Helen Morris, met her at the entrance.
Helen was in her late fifties, with short silver hair and a reputation for remembering every rule everyone else hoped she had forgotten.
“Anna, my office. Now.”
Anna followed her upstairs.
Inside, Helen closed the door and placed a folder on the table.
“I've reviewed your preliminary report.”
“I sent it as soon as I got home.”
“You did the right thing.”
Relief moved through Anna's chest.
Helen continued.
“The account list remains restricted. No employee is permitted to modify it without written authorization from compliance and legal. We've also locked down the relevant systems and started reviewing access logs.”
“Have you identified who requested the information?”
“Not yet.”
Anna sat down.
“Christopher knew the list was being released at eight thirty.”
“Which suggests that someone with legitimate access disclosed the timing.”
“He said the Rizzos were paying him.”
Helen's expression became grave.
“Did he provide evidence of that?”
“The police have the messages. I don't know what else they recovered.”
Helen nodded.
“We'll coordinate with investigators through legal counsel. Until then, you will not discuss account details outside this office.”
“I understand.”
“And Anna?”
“Yes?”
“You're taking the next two days off with full pay.”
Anna blinked.
“I can't. We have the restriction deadline.”
“We have other investigators.”
“But—”
“I'm not asking.”
Anna's jaw tightened.
She had spent years building a career in which she was valued for being dependable. Being sent home felt dangerously close to being pushed aside.
Helen seemed to understand.
“This isn't punishment,” she said. “It's a security measure. We will not allow an employee to be placed in danger for doing her job.”
Anna finally nodded.
“Thank you.”
At 8:30, the account restrictions went into effect.
Several transfers were blocked. Two companies attempted to move funds through alternative accounts, but the bank's compliance system flagged the transactions for review.
At 8:43, an executive at one of the companies called Anna's office, demanding to know who had authorized the restrictions.
At 8:51, another company submitted an emergency request to release its assets.
At 9:03, the compliance department received a formal complaint alleging that Anna had misclassified the transactions.
By ten, the pressure had become unmistakable.
Someone wanted the accounts reopened.
Anna spent the rest of the morning assisting the legal team with documentation. She did not have access to the restricted files herself; her role was to explain the transaction patterns and identify supporting records.
At noon, she received an email from an unfamiliar address.
You should have taken the money when it was offered.
There was no signature.
No attachment.
Anna forwarded it to corporate security and her lawyer.
Then she turned off her phone.
For the first time in months, she allowed herself to eat lunch without reading another message.
She had barely finished when Helen entered the room.
“We have an external security contact here.”
“Who?”
“Gabriel Romano's legal representative.”
Anna closed her eyes.
“Of course.”
Helen raised an eyebrow.
“You know him?”
“I met him last night.”
“Under what circumstances?”
Anna gave her a brief account of the garage confrontation.
Helen listened without interruption.
When Anna finished, she said, “Mr. Romano has requested a meeting with our legal department. He claims one of his companies may be connected to the transactions under review.”
“Is he offering to cooperate?”
“He says he wants to know whether any employee of his has been involved in improper payments.”
Anna considered the request.
“That could be legitimate.”
“It could also be an attempt to influence the investigation.”
“Then keep the meeting with legal. I won't discuss restricted information with him.”
Helen smiled faintly.
“Exactly what I wanted to hear.”
The meeting was arranged for late afternoon in a conference room with legal counsel present.
Gabriel arrived with Nico and an attorney named Rebecca Shaw.
He did not approach Anna immediately.
He greeted Helen, exchanged credentials with legal counsel, and took a seat at the opposite end of the table.
For the next forty minutes, he answered questions about his company's ownership structure, payment systems, and executive responsibilities.
His answers were precise.
He did not ask for the account list.
He did not attempt to persuade Helen to release the restrictions.
He asked for a formal process through which his company could provide records and cooperate with the investigation.
When the meeting ended, Anna collected her notebook.
Gabriel waited until the lawyers had left before speaking.
“Ms. Sullivan.”
“Mr. Romano.”
“I'm glad you're safe.”
“I'm glad the authorities arrived.”
He nodded.
“You're right. They should be the ones handling what happened.”
Anna studied him.
“Why did you arrange a meeting with my employer?”
“Because one of the accounts under investigation may be connected to a legitimate company I own. If money was diverted through that company, I need to know who authorized it.”
“And if the investigation leads to you?”
“Then I will answer the questions.”
She had expected a more complicated response.
Instead, he seemed willing to accept the possibility.
“Do you always cooperate with financial investigators?” she asked.
“No.”
The answer was so direct that she blinked.
Gabriel continued.
“I am not going to pretend I have lived an uncomplicated life. But I can distinguish between refusing to cooperate because someone is asking for confidential business information and refusing to cooperate because I have something to hide.”
Anna crossed her arms.
“And which is it now?”
“I don't know yet. That is why I am asking for a formal review.”
She considered him carefully.
“You understand that I cannot help you with the restricted records.”
“I would be concerned if you did.”
“Then we have nothing else to discuss.”
He nodded.
“Agreed.”
Anna picked up her bag.
At the door, Gabriel spoke again.
“One thing.”
She turned.
“Your former boyfriend has told investigators that the Rizzos are holding a debt over him. That may explain his behavior, but it does not excuse it. If he contacts you again, inform the police. Do not meet him privately.”
“I know how restraining orders work.”
“I assumed you did.”
“Then why tell me?”
“Because people under pressure sometimes convince themselves they can resolve a dangerous situation alone.”
Anna held his gaze.
“You mean people like you?”
For the first time, Gabriel looked genuinely amused.
“Frequently.”
She nearly smiled.
Then she remembered the photograph hidden in her laptop bag.
“Someone photographed me entering my office. They left the picture in my bag.”
Gabriel's amusement disappeared.
“Did you report it?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Tell your security team to preserve the envelope and photograph. Don't let anyone handle them unnecessarily.”
“I already did.”
“Excellent.”
She studied him for a moment.
“You're very familiar with this kind of thing.”
“Yes.”
“That should worry me.”
“It probably should.”
For reasons she could not explain, his refusal to pretend otherwise was more reassuring than a dozen promises would have been.
They parted without another word.
That evening, Gabriel returned to his office.
Nico had identified the employee whose access code was used in the garage.
His name was Peter Walsh.
He had worked in building security for six years and had recently accumulated substantial gambling debts.
The access logs showed that Peter had entered the garage control room shortly before the cameras went offline.
He had also accessed Anna's parking information.
When questioned, Peter initially denied everything.
Then investigators found a payment from a company associated with Anthony Rizzo.
Peter admitted he had accepted money to disable the cameras and provide Christopher with Anna's parking schedule. He claimed he did not know Christopher would bring a weapon.
Gabriel read the statement.
“Does he know who made the payment?”
“An intermediary. The money passed through a consulting company.”
“Find the owner.”
Nico placed another folder on the desk.
“We already did.”
Gabriel opened it.
The consulting company was controlled by a man named Marcus Vale, a senior operations adviser in Gabriel's own organization.
Gabriel stared at the photograph.
Vale had worked for him for nearly a decade.
He had managed sensitive contracts, coordinated property acquisitions, and attended meetings where very few people were permitted to take notes.
If Vale was passing information to the Rizzos, this was not a simple case of a disloyal employee selling a parking schedule.
It was a breach at the center of Gabriel's operation.
“Bring him in,” Gabriel said.
“Tonight?”
“Tonight.”
“And if he refuses?”
Gabriel closed the folder.
“Then we let the evidence speak before anyone decides what happens next.”
For the first time in years, Nico saw something in his employer's face that he could not easily categorize.
It was not anger alone.
It was disappointment.
Gabriel had always understood that enemies might lie to him.
May you like
He had never expected a trusted adviser to help place an innocent woman in danger.
And he had no intention of allowing that betrayal to disappear into another private arrangement.
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