The Wooden Horse

I clutched Noah to my chest. He woke up, crying softly at the shouting, burying his face in my neck.

Dominic kept his gun trained directly on his uncle's chest. "Explain yourself, Silvio. Now. Before I put a bullet in you."

Silvio waved a hand. His armed men lowered their weapons, stepping back into the hallway. Silvio walked into the room alone, shutting the broken door as best he could behind him.

"Vanessa’s family isn’t trying to merge with us," Silvio said, walking to the wet bar and pouring himself a whiskey. "They’re trying to absorb us. The Bellinis are broke, Dominic. They’ve been broke for years. They need our South Side ports."

"And the marriage?" Dominic asked, his voice tight.

"A trojan horse," Silvio scoffed. "The moment you marry Vanessa, the Bellini family gains legal access to our board. And the moment that happens, you’re a dead man. They’ll kill you, and as your widow, Vanessa inherits everything."

My heart pounded against my ribs. "But what does that have to do with Noah?"

Silvio turned to me. His eyes softened just a fraction, a startling contrast to his ruthless demeanor.

"Because of the trust your father left behind," Silvio said. "Your father knew the Bellinis were dangerous. He wanted Dominic to marry Vanessa to keep our enemies close, but he built a fail-safe. If Dominic has a blood heir, the trust locks entirely. The child inherits everything, held by an independent bank until he’s eighteen. The Bellinis can’t touch a dime, even if Dominic dies."

Dominic lowered his gun slightly. "You knew about Noah."

"Of course I knew," Silvio snapped. "Your father hired her treacherous sister to track them. But when your father died, I took over the payments. I kept them hidden. I made sure Vanessa’s family thought the girl had disappeared."

"Then why did they find me tonight?" I demanded. "Why did Vanessa know I was working in the mansion?"

Silvio sighed, rubbing his gray temples. "Because your sister got greedy. She approached Vanessa’s father last week, trying to sell your location for a lump sum."

I felt physically sick. My own sister.

Silvio reached into his pocket and pulled out a delicate, beautiful object. He tossed it onto the glass coffee table.

It was a pearl rosary.

Dominic stared at it, his breath catching. "That was my mother’s."

"Yes," Silvio said softly. "Your mother gave it to me before she died. She told me to protect you. And right now, the only way to protect you is to destroy the Bellinis before morning."

Silvio looked at me. "Take the rosary, Claire."

I hesitated, then picked it up. The pearls felt heavy, unnaturally heavy.

"Twist the silver crucifix," Silvio instructed.

I gripped the tiny cross and turned it. With a soft click, the top of the cross slid open. Inside was a tiny, impossibly small micro-USB drive.

"That drive contains the Bellini family’s real ledgers," Silvio said. "Proof that they stole millions from the New York syndicate. If we send that to New York tonight, the Bellinis won't survive the week."

Dominic looked at his uncle. "If you had this, why didn't you use it?"

"Because it requires a thumbprint encryption to unlock," Silvio said grimly. "Vanessa's thumbprint."

A horrible silence fell over the room.

Vanessa was locked in the east wing of Dominic's mansion.

Suddenly, Dominic's phone rang. It was Marco.

Dominic put it on speaker. "Marco. Status."

"Boss," Marco's voice was panicked, breathless. "I'm sorry. We were ambushed. The Bellinis sent a strike team to the mansion."

"Is Vanessa secure?" Dominic demanded.