Chapter 6 - The Man Who Sold Them Both
They returned to Chicago in silence.
Dante deliberately allowed Luca to believe they had found nothing.
He even let him see the false ledger.
Luca studied it carefully.
"Did you find anything?"
Dante shook his head.
"Only old accounts."
Luca relaxed.
"Good."
Elena watched him.
There was no hesitation in his face.
No guilt.
He had been lying for years.
Later that night, Dante gathered his inner circle.
Only six people were allowed into the room.
He closed the doors.
"One of you is betraying me."
Everyone looked at him.
Luca remained perfectly still.
Dante placed the fake ledger on the table.
"Someone has been selling information to Cole."
No one moved.
Elena stood beside Dante.
Luca looked at her.
"Why is she here?"
Dante answered.
"Because she knows more about betrayal than any of you."
Elena said nothing.
The room went tense.
Dante continued.
"I have names."
Luca shifted.
Dante noticed.
"One person."
He pulled out an envelope.
"One person has been paid every month."
Luca's hand moved slightly.
Dante drew his gun.
"Luca."
The room froze.
Luca stared at him.
"Boss."
"You have thirty seconds."
Luca looked at Elena.
Then at Dante.
"I can explain."
"Twenty-five."
"It wasn't supposed to happen this way."
"Twenty."
Luca slowly raised his hands.
"Your uncle threatened my daughter."
Dante paused.
"What?"
"She was six."
Luca's voice broke.
"They had her."
Elena stepped forward.
"Where is she?"
"They've been moving her every few months."
Dante lowered his weapon.
"You never told me."
"You would have killed them."
"Yes."
"And then they'd kill her."
Dante stared.
Luca continued.
"I fed them information. I changed schedules. I told them which warehouses were empty. I never told them anything that could kill you."
"Except the cameras."
Luca looked down.
"I didn't know about the penthouse."
Dante's expression hardened.
"Who did?"
Luca whispered one word.
"Victor."
Silence.
Then the lights went out.
Luca shouted.
"Down!"
An explosion ripped through the lower floor.
The entire building shook.
Dante grabbed Elena.
They fell behind the table.
Smoke poured into the room.
When the emergency lights activated, one of Dante's men was dead.
Luca had blood across his face.
He looked at Dante.
"They knew I was exposed."
Dante pulled Elena to her feet.
"Where's Victor?"
"Gone."
"Where is your daughter?"
Luca's eyes widened.
"They took her yesterday."
Dante understood.
The entire operation was being dismantled in stages.
First the penthouse.
Then the warehouse.
Then the safe house.
Then the inner circle.
Now Luca.
They were removing every person who might expose them.
Elena touched Dante's arm.
"We need to save her."
Dante nodded.
He looked at Luca.
"You've got one chance."
Luca swallowed.
"I'll do anything."
"Give me the address."
Luca did.
An abandoned hotel on the south side.
Dante gathered his men.
Elena grabbed his hand.
"I'm coming."
"No."
"Yes."
"Elena."
"I spent three years being treated like the weakest person in the room."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"I am not leaving you again."
He stared at her.
Then nodded.
The hotel was dark.
Dante's team entered from three sides.
Luca moved behind them.
They found the child on the fourth floor.
A little girl sat beside a window.
Her wrists were tied.
Luca broke down when he saw her.
"Mia."
The girl looked up.
"Dad?"
He ran to her.
Elena cut the ropes.
Dante searched the room.
A note lay on the table.
"COME TO THE PENTHOUSE AT MIDNIGHT."
Dante read it.
Then laughed once.
"They still think they control the game."
Elena looked at him.
"What's the plan?"
"We let them believe it."
They returned to the penthouse.
The lights were restored.
Furniture overturned.
Broken glass everywhere.
A single chair had been placed in the center of the living room.
Victor sat in it.
Raymond Cole stood behind him.
Elena's father stood beside the windows.
Dante walked in with Elena.
Victor smiled.
"You came."
Dante closed the door behind them.
"Of course."
Victor looked at Luca.
"You survived."
Luca said nothing.
Victor glanced toward Elena.
"And you brought your little traitor."
Elena's father stepped forward.
"Enough."
Dante looked at him.
"You ordered my father's death."
The older man sighed.
"He refused to cooperate."
"He was my father."
"He was an obstacle."
Elena stepped forward.
"You used me."
Her father stared at her.
"You were always going to be my daughter."
"Not a daughter."
She held up the original ledger.
"A weapon."
Victor's face changed.
Raymond reached for his gun.
Too late.
Dante's men emerged from hidden doors.
Weapons aimed at every target.
Nora Hayes stepped inside behind them.
"I believe we need to have a conversation."
Victor stared.
"Police?"
Nora smiled without humor.
"Federal agents are already downstairs."
Victor turned toward Raymond.
"What did you do?"
Raymond whispered, "Nothing."
Dante walked toward Victor.
"The difference between you and me is that you thought fear was loyalty."
Victor backed away.
"And you?"
Dante answered.
"I finally learned the difference."
He handed the ledger to Nora.
She looked at him.
"This is enough to bury half the city."
Dante nodded.
"Then bury them."
Victor lunged.
A gunshot echoed.
Everyone froze.
Victor fell.
Raymond stared at the blood on his hands.
But the shot had not come from Dante.
It had come from Elena's father.
He was standing with the gun.
Raymond looked at him in disbelief.
"You betrayed me."
"No."
Elena's father lowered the weapon.
May you like
"I finally stopped pretending."
Then he collapsed.
