Chapter 12 - Betrayal from Within
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By dawn, the mountain storm had cleared, leaving the pine forest shrouded in thick, ghostly mist.
Downstairs in the communication suite, Dante's lead cyber operative had finally cracked the encrypted telemetry data recovered from the ambush site.
The digital trail led directly to an encrypted satellite transmitter registered to a private offshore shell company.
Dante stood over the illuminated monitors, his expression freezing into a mask of pure, murderous rage.
"Who does the account belong to?" I asked, standing beside him with a mug of black coffee in my hands.
"Enzo Rossi," Dante said, his voice dropping into a register colder than arctic ice.
My eyes widened in disbelief.
Enzo Rossi was Dante's chief consigliere and the oldest surviving member of the syndicate's inner circle.
He had served Julian Valenti thirty years ago before becoming Dante's closest legal advisor.
"Enzo has been at your side for decades," I said, struggling to comprehend the depth of the betrayal.
"Why would he betray you to Romano now?"
"Because Enzo was the one who sold Julian out fifteen years ago," Dante said, the terrible puzzle pieces finally snapping into place.
"Enzo helped Romano disable the security grid at the Valenti estate in exchange for a thirty percent cut of Romano's pharmaceutical smuggling routes."
"When you showed up alive at the gala, Enzo knew his time was running out."
"If you reclaimed your family's rightful ledger, Enzo's signature on the offshore bank transfers would be exposed."
Dante turned toward his tactical commander, Marco, who was waiting at attention by the reinforced door.
"We set the bait," Dante ordered coldly.
"Send a radio transmission across our open syndicate channel that I was critically wounded in the highway ambush."
"Announce that I am being transported to the safehouse clinic in Manhattan, leaving Elena guarded by only a skeleton crew at the Tribeca penthouse."
"Enzo will want to finish her off before I can officially name her as Julian's heir."
"Understood, Boss," Marco replied before hurrying out to execute the orders.
Four hours later, we arrived back at the Tribeca penthouse under total radio silence, entering through the freight delivery elevators.
Orion was moving comfortably on his feet again, his bandaged shoulder healing remarkably fast thanks to his canine vitality.
Dante stationed twelve elite tactical operators inside the penthouse walls, hidden behind false acoustic panels and inside service closets.
"You stay in the panic room behind my office, Olivia," Dante instructed, checking the magazine of his sidearm.
"No," I replied firmly, stepping in front of him.
"If Enzo walks in and sees this place empty, he'll know it's a trap."
"He needs to see me sitting in that living room, waiting like an easy target."
Dante grabbed my shoulders, his eyes blazing with desperate protest.
"I won't use you as live bait!"
"You won't be using me, Dante," I said softly, resting my hand over his racing heart.
"I am Julian Valenti's daughter."
"I have run from this shadow for fifteen years, and I refuse to hide in a closet while my father's murderer walks through the front door."
Dante stared at me, seeing the unbreakable fire of my lineage burning brightly behind my eyes.
He slowly nodded, respect and fierce love battling inside his gaze.
"I will be ten feet away behind the dining room partition," Dante swore, checking the sight on his weapon.
"If he so much as raises his voice at you, I put a bullet through his skull."
Orion trotted over, sitting firmly at my left side with his massive black chest pushed out proudly.
"And what about you, boy?" I whispered, stroking his velvety ears.
May you like
"Ready to defend our home?"
Orion let out a low, vibrating huff of breath, his amber eyes burning with ancient, loyal fury.
