Chapter 5 - THE BROKEN ROSARY
The words hit the room like a physical shockwave.
He has your mother.
Nicholas didn't yell. He didn't lose control. The terrifying aura of the Chicago syndicate boss descended upon him in an instant, turning his dark eyes into obsidian ice.
"Where?" Nicholas demanded, racking the slide of his weapon with a sharp, metallic clack.
"The main dining room," Marcus said, stepping aside to let Nicholas pass. "He has six men with him. They bypassed the electronic locks. They had the override codes."
Nicholas froze. He turned slowly, looking at his trusted bodyguard.
"Only three people have the override codes, Marcus," Nicholas said, his voice dangerously quiet. "Me. My mother. And you."
Marcus flinched, but he didn't lower his gun. He looked at Nicholas with a heartbreaking agony.
"I'm sorry, boss," Marcus whispered, a tear spilling over his scarred cheek. "He took my wife this morning. He said if I didn't let him into the estate tonight, he would mail her to me in pieces."
Reversal.
Marcus wasn't a traitor. He was a hostage. Vincent hadn't just breached the fortress; he had systematically dismantled the loyalty of Nicholas's inner circle by targeting their families.
"Marcus," Nicholas said, the anger vanishing, replaced by a cold, lethal resolve. "I am going to get your wife back. But right now, I need you to protect my daughter."
Marcus lowered his gun, sobbing in sheer relief. "With my life, Nicholas. I swear to God."
Nicholas turned to me. He grabbed the amber necklace off the desk and shoved it into my hand.
"Stay here with Marcus and Mia," Nicholas ordered, his eyes boring into mine. "Lock the door. Do not open it for anyone but me."
"You can't go down there alone!" I panicked, grabbing his arm. "He has six men!"
Nicholas looked down at my hand on his sleeve. For a split second, the hardened mafia boss softened. He reached up, his rough thumb brushing lightly against my cheek.
"I have been fighting this war in the shadows for two years, Grace," Nicholas said softly. "Tonight, I end it."
He turned and walked out of the library, the heavy oak door clicking shut behind him.
Marcus immediately sprang into action, pushing a heavy leather sofa in front of the door and barricading us inside.
I knelt down beside Mia, wrapping my arms around the trembling little girl. "It's okay, sweetheart. Your dad is going to fix this."
Mia didn't cry. She reached into her pocket again and pulled out another object.
It was a broken silver rosary. The crucifix was bent, and several beads were missing.
She pressed it into my hand.
I looked at Marcus. "What is this?"
Marcus walked over, his face pale as he looked at the rosary. "That belongs to Teresa. She was holding it the night she had her... the night she was poisoned. It broke when she collapsed."
I ran my fingers over the smooth silver beads. Then, I noticed something strange.
The crucifix wasn't just bent. It was hollow.
And sticking out of the bottom, caught in the twisted metal, was a tiny scrap of paper.
I pulled it out with trembling fingers and unfolded it.
It was a bank account number. But it wasn't a Chicago bank. It was a Swiss offshore account.
And written in Teresa's elegant handwriting beneath the numbers were three words:
The Cayman Ledger.
"Marcus," I breathed, my mind racing as the pieces slammed together. "Vincent didn't just embezzle money. He stole the Cayman Ledger. The syndicate's emergency pension fund. That's why he killed Nicholas's father!"
Marcus stared at the paper. "If the syndicate families find out Vincent stole the pension fund, they will publicly execute him. He's been looking for this account number for twenty years."
"And Teresa had it hidden in her rosary the whole time," I realized. "Vincent poisoned her because she finally threatened to expose him."
Suddenly, a deafening crash echoed from the floor below.
Gunfire.
Loud, rapid, and terrifyingly close.
Mia squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in my chest. I held her tightly, praying with every fiber of my being that Nicholas was okay.
The gunfire lasted for what felt like an eternity. Then, absolute, terrifying silence descended over the mansion.
We waited in the dark library, barely breathing.
Heavy footsteps approached the oak door.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Marcus raised his gun, aiming it directly at the door, his hands shaking violently.
"Grace," a voice called out from the hallway.
May you like
It was Vincent.
"Open the door, my dear," Vincent's smooth, chilling voice filtered through the heavy wood. "Or I'm going to put a bullet in Teresa's head right here in the hallway."
