Chapter 5 - The Unraveling Syndicate
Downstairs in the shipping warehouse, Sal Genovese sat tied to a metal chair while Tommy stood guard with a baseball bat. Sal was shaking violently, muttering about how a mere secretary had brought down a decade-long operation with a single spreadsheet.
"She's not just a secretary," Tommy muttered, tapping his bruised jaw. "She's a walking natural disaster wrapped in a gray pencil skirt."
Upstairs, Dante reviewed the remaining financial portfolios with an intensity he hadn't felt in nearly a decade. The laughter had unlocked something cognitive, clearing away the fog of endless grief that clouded his strategic judgment.
He noticed a series of secondary discrepancies hidden beneath Sal's missing three million dollars. Another offshore account linked to a rival syndicate in Milwaukee was siphoning funds from their shipping front.
Dante buzzed Emily's desk immediately, his voice carrying a rich, resonant tone that startled her for a fraction of a second. "Bring me the Milwaukee shipping manifests from Q3."
Emily grabbed the folder within five seconds and marched back into his office without knocking. She dropped the papers onto the desk, her expression tight with professional annoyance.
"You're making a habit of interrupting my lunch break with paperwork, Mr. Marino," she stated flatly.
May you like
Dante raised an eyebrow, genuinely amused by her fearlessness. "Sal was just the tip of the iceberg, Emily. Look at these port entries."
Emily leaned over the desk, her shoulder brushing against his arm as she scanned the columns of numbers. "These import weights don't match the customs declarations. Someone inside the dock union is playing both sides."
