Chapter 2 - The Traitor at His Table
Damian took Elena downstairs.
Not to a basement dungeon.
To an office.
Six monitors covered one wall.
Financial records covered another.
Elena looked around.
“This is where you run everything?”
“This is where I find people stealing from me.”
Luca closed the door.
Damian placed three folders on the desk.
“Three suspects.”
Elena opened the first.
“Anthony Bellini.”
“My accountant.”
Second.
“Marco Rossi.”
“My cousin.”
Third.
Elena stopped.
“Luca Marino.”
Luca stared at Damian.
“Seriously?”
“You wanted honesty.”
“I’ve taken bullets for you.”
“And that makes you loyal?”
Luca’s jaw tightened.
Elena closed the folder.
“Your traitor has access to transportation schedules, financial transfers, and internal security.”
“Yes.”
“That eliminates half your organization.”
“It leaves seventeen people.”
“Daniel narrowed it further.”
Damian opened a safe.
Inside was an envelope.
Elena recognized the handwriting immediately.
Her knees almost weakened.
D.R.
Daniel Cross.
She snatched it.
“You had this?”
“It arrived after Daniel disappeared.”
“Why didn’t you find me?”
“I tried.”
“You didn’t try hard enough.”
Damian’s eyes hardened.
“Your identity was erased professionally. Daniel made sure you disappeared.”
Elena opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten message.
The leak sits close enough to hear him breathe.
Below it:
Follow the Lake Geneva money.
Elena stared.
“Lake Geneva.”
Damian looked at Luca.
Luca shook his head.
“Nothing official there.”
“Exactly,” Elena said.
She moved toward the computer.
“Show me your shell companies.”
Damian raised an eyebrow.
“All of them?”
“All.”
“That could take days.”
“Then stop talking.”
Luca laughed.
Damian looked at him.
“What?”
“I like her.”
“You weren’t saying that upstairs.”
“She broke your wrist, not mine.”
Elena worked for three hours.
Damian remained beside her.
Eventually she found it.
“Here.”
A company called Northshore Development had received fourteen payments totaling $3.8 million.
Damian leaned closer.
“I’ve never seen that company.”
“But your organization paid it.”
“Authorized by whom?”
Elena opened the approval records.
The signature belonged to Anthony Bellini.
Luca cursed.
Damian remained expressionless.
“Too easy,” Elena said.
“What?”
“If Bellini is stealing millions, why leave his own authorization?”
“Unless he’s stupid.”
“He isn’t.”
Damian looked at her.
“You researched him?”
“I researched everyone around you.”
“Should I be flattered?”
“No.”
Elena opened another record.
The authorization metadata had been altered.
Someone had copied Bellini’s credentials.
“Your accountant is being framed.”
Damian’s phone rang.
Marco.
He answered.
“What?”
His cousin’s voice came urgently through the speaker.
“Damian, we found something in Bellini’s office.”
“What?”
“Daniel Cross’s badge.”
Elena stood.
“That’s impossible.”
Marco continued.
“And photographs of Elena.”
Silence.
Damian looked directly at her.
Marco said, “She’s playing you.”
Elena whispered, “Don’t.”
“Boss,” Luca said.
Damian’s expression became unreadable.
“Bring Bellini upstairs.”
Elena grabbed Damian’s arm.
“You’re walking into it.”
He looked down at her hand.
“Interesting.”
“What?”
“You threatened to break my hand for touching you.”
She released him.
“This is different.”
“How?”
May you like
“Because I’m trying to keep you alive.”
For the first time, Damian didn’t have a clever answer.
