Chapter 10 - BEHIND THE DOOR

Carla backed away from the door.

Nina sensed her fear and stopped smiling.

“Mommy?”

“Quiet, sweetheart.”

Dean knocked again.

“I know you’re in there.”

Carla grabbed the heavy brass lamp from the nightstand.

“What do you want?”

“To talk.”

“Talk through the door.”

A pause.

Then his voice changed. Less friendly. More tired.

“You told Massimo something.”

Carla’s hands went cold.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do.”

Nina crawled beneath the bed.

Carla wanted to cry with pride and terror.

Dean lowered his voice. “You think he protects people like you? He protects himself. That’s all men like Massimo know how to do.”

“You’re one of those men.”

He laughed softly. “Exactly.”

The lock clicked.

Carla stared.

Dean had a master key.

She raised the lamp.

The door opened three inches.

Then Dean grunted.

A body slammed into the wall outside.

Marco’s voice snapped, “Drop it.”

Another impact.

Carla yanked the door open.

Dean laughed through clenched teeth. “This is how you repay me?”

Massimo rolled out of the darkness behind them.

“No,” he said. “This is how I start.”

Dean looked up.

For the first time in twelve years, fear entered his face.

Massimo nodded at the knife. “You come to tuck in the housekeeper?”

Dean stopped smiling.

“Search him,” Massimo ordered.

Marco pulled out Dean’s phone, wallet, pistol, two keys—and a small encrypted flash drive.

Dean’s jaw tightened.

Massimo held out his hand.

Marco gave him the drive.

“Password?” Massimo asked.

Dean smiled again. “Go to hell.”

Massimo leaned closer. “Been there. Bad parking.”

He handed the drive back to Marco. “Crack it.”

Dean was taken to a locked guest suite under guard.

At 3:00 a.m., Marco called Massimo into the study.

“We opened the drive.”

On the screen were bank transfers, burner phone logs, photographs of Massimo’s convoy route—and a video file dated two days before the ambush.

Marco pressed play.

Dean appeared on-screen sitting across from Salvatore Bellandi.

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Then Massimo heard Dean say:

“Make sure the bullet hits low. He needs to survive.”