Chapter 4 - The Trap Beneath My Office
My office occupied the second floor of a renovated brick building in Queens.
The first floor was a bakery.
The third was empty.
And beneath all of it was a basement no one used except the building superintendent.
Or so I thought.
Luca’s convoy stopped two blocks away.
Marco studied a tablet.
“Mercer’s vehicles entered the alley behind Elena’s building six minutes ago.”
I reached for the door.
Luca locked it.
I stared at him.
“Unlock this.”
“No.”
“Luca.”
“You’re staying here.”
I pointed toward the building.
“My sister is inside.”
“And Mercer wants you inside.”
“He wants you too.”
“Yes.”
“So?”
“So I’m harder to kidnap.”
Despite everything, I nearly laughed.
“Did you rehearse that?”
“No.”
Marco opened the passenger door.
“Boss, we have movement.”
A man walked out of the alley carrying a phone.
One of Mercer’s soldiers.
He left an envelope beneath a streetlight.
Then disappeared again.
Marco retrieved it.
Inside was a keycard and a note.
Elena alone. Basement. Five minutes.
Luca tore the note in half.
“No.”
I looked at Marco.
“Does Mercer know how many men we have?”
“Probably.”
“Does he know Sofia turned?”
“No.”
“Then we use that.”
Luca’s eyes narrowed.
“What are you thinking?”
“Sofia contacts Mercer. Says she escaped.”
Marco shook his head.
“He’ll suspect it.”
“Of course he will. That’s the point.”
Luca watched me.
I continued.
“She tells him you discovered the tracker and are preparing to storm the building from the front.”
Marco understood.
“So Mercer moves his people toward the front.”
“Leaving fewer men in the basement.”
Luca said, “And where exactly are you during this brilliant plan?”
“With you.”
“No.”
“Then I walk in alone.”
His jaw tightened.
“You negotiate like a terrorist.”
“I learned from your contracts.”
Five minutes later, Sofia made the call.
Mercer believed enough of it.
Four men moved from the alley to the front entrance.
Marco’s team intercepted them without gunfire.
Luca and I entered through the bakery kitchen.
The owner had already been evacuated.
We found the basement stairs behind a freezer.
Luca touched my arm.
“Stay behind me.”
“You do realize I’m the one with the keycard.”
“Elena.”
“Fine.”
I swiped the card.
The door opened.
Caroline sat tied to a chair.
Ethan was beside her.
And Adrian Mercer stood behind them.
“Beautiful,” Mercer said.
My sister looked at me.
“Elena, get out!”
Ethan was crying.
“Aunt Elena!”
Mercer smiled.
“Family reunions. Always moving.”
Luca stepped into the room.
“You asked for Elena. You got me too.”
“I was counting on it.”
Two men emerged from behind shelving.
Luca didn’t move.
Mercer looked at me.
“Restore my accounts.”
“Release them.”
“No.”
“Then no money.”
He laughed.
“You still think this is about money?”
He nodded toward Luca.
“This is about making him kneel.”
My heart skipped.
Mercer continued.
“Luca Valenti has spent ten years acting like Manhattan belongs to him.”
“It mostly does,” Luca said.
Mercer’s smile vanished.
Even I turned toward Luca.
He shrugged.
“You started the speech.”
Mercer grabbed Caroline’s chair.
“Passwords. Now.”
I pulled Shaw’s phone from my pocket.
“First you untie my nephew.”
“Don’t test me.”
“I already killed your best man tonight.”
The room went silent.
Luca looked at me.
Mercer’s face hardened.
I continued.
“You sent Shaw because you thought I’d panic.”
“You got lucky.”
“No.”
I held his gaze.
“He got arrogant.”
Mercer stepped closer.
“So are you.”
“Maybe.”
I unlocked the phone.
“But you have a bigger problem.”
“What?”
I smiled.
“You never checked whether Sofia’s shell companies still belonged to you.”
Confusion crossed his face.
Luca’s phone buzzed.
He looked down.
Then smiled.
“Done.”
Mercer stared at him.
“What did you do?”
Luca turned the screen.
Three corporations had been transferred into federal receivership through legitimate legal filings prepared from evidence contained on Shaw’s phone.
Mercer went white.
“You can’t—”
“Already did,” I said.
“You stole everything.”
“No.”
I looked at Caroline.
“Your accountant did.”
One of Mercer’s men suddenly backed toward the stairs.
Mercer turned.
“Where are you going?”
The man hesitated.
“You can’t pay us.”
Mercer’s face twisted.
“You work for me!”
“Worked.”
The second man lowered his hands.
Then we heard vehicles outside.
Sirens.
Mercer stared at me.
“You called the police?”
“I called everyone.”
Earlier that evening, Shaw had made one enormous mistake.
He had called emergency services from his own phone after I had already dialed.
The recording preserved his threats.
His messages preserved Mercer’s orders.
And Sofia’s files preserved everything else.
Mercer grabbed me.
Luca moved instantly.
But Mercer pressed a small knife against my side.
“Stop.”
Everyone froze.
Caroline screamed.
“Elena!”
Mercer dragged me toward the rear door.
Luca’s eyes locked on mine.
“Adrian.”
“What?”
“You’re not leaving with her.”
Mercer smiled.
“Watch me.”
Then Ethan kicked Mercer directly in the shin.
Hard.
Mercer stumbled.
I drove my heel backward into his foot.
His grip loosened.
Luca crossed the distance in two strides and ripped me away.
Marco’s men rushed Mercer.
Seconds later, he was on the concrete floor.
Alive.
Furious.
Defeated.
I dropped beside Ethan and Caroline.
My sister wrapped both arms around me.
“You came.”
“Of course I came.”
“You’re insane.”
“I know.”
Ethan buried his face against my shoulder.
Then he looked past me.
“Is that Luca?”
I nodded.
Ethan sniffed.
“He looks scary.”
From across the room, Luca said, “I get that a lot.”
May you like
For the first time all night, my nephew laughed.
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