Chapter 4
Rocco opened the seam of the stuffed cat.
A tiny memory card slid onto the table.
Elena whispered, “I never knew.”
Dante believed her.
He loaded the card on an isolated laptop.
Four files appeared.
Three spreadsheets.
One audio recording.
Marco’s voice filled the kitchen.
“If Dante is hearing this, I’m probably dead.”
Dante stopped breathing.
Marco explained that Bello Holdings was moving money through real-estate projects for several criminal families.
Then he said one name.
“Vincent Bellini.”
Vanessa’s father.
“He knows I found the accounts,” Marco continued. “Vanessa knows too. She warned me to stop.”
Elena stared at Dante.
The recording continued.
“If anything happens, don’t start a war. That’s what they want. Follow the money.”
The spreadsheets showed payments routed through Bello.
One payment, made six days before Marco’s murder, went to a security company owned by the brother-in-law of the driver whose burned sedan had been tied to the shooting.
Dante closed his eyes.
Seven years ago, Vincent Bellini had urged him to retaliate against the Russo family.
A war would have buried records, witnesses, and money trails.
Dante had refused.
Not because he knew the truth.
Because he lacked proof.
His phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
A photograph appeared.
Sophia asleep in Elena’s arms, taken through a window less than ten minutes earlier.
Below it:
GIVE BACK WHAT MARCO STOLE.
Elena went white.
Rocco reached for his radio.
“East grounds. Lock down now.”
The estate lights died.
Every camera monitor went black.
Emergency lights flickered red.
Then Sophia screamed from upstairs.
Dante was already moving when another message arrived.
May you like
VANESSA FAILED.
CLEAN UP THE CHILD.
