Chapter 12 - THE ZONING BOARD AND THE BETRAYAL AT THE DOCKS
The air inside the archive vault grew several degrees colder as Luca slid the final document across the steel table toward Daniel.
“Run this signature through the downtown property registry and cross-reference it with every municipal tax assessment filed over the past six months,” Luca ordered crisply.
“If my cousin Marcus is backing Vanessa’s corporate sabotage from inside the city council, I want his bank accounts frozen before the stock market opens at nine.”
“Consider it done, boss,” Daniel replied, scooping up the file folder with practiced efficiency and striding out of the vault toward the communications terminal upstairs.
Left alone in the quiet vault with Sophie, Luca turned his attention back to her, his intense gaze softening just enough to acknowledge the lingering shock on her face.
“Are you alright, Sophie?” he asked quietly.
Sophie took a deep, steadying breath, forcing the terror down into the dark recesses of her mind and replacing it with the hardened resilience that had kept her family afloat through years of financial hardship.
“I’m fine, Mr. Moretti,” she said, her voice firm and level.
“I didn't survive a year of working two jobs to let someone like Vanessa Bellini turn me into a footnote in a criminal conspiracy.”
A faint, approving smirk crossed Luca’s lips.
“That’s the exact reason you’re running this estate today instead of hiding out in Peoria,” he noted.
“Which brings me to why I called you down here.”
Luca picked up a heavy set of brass-and-steel skeleton keys from the corner of the table—keys that unlocked not just the estate doors, but the private underground transit tunnels leading directly to the Moretti shipping terminals along the Chicago River.
“Vanessa’s flight is currently passing over the Pacific, but her co-conspirators in the city are panicking. They know the strongbox is missing, and they know Daniel is tearing through their financial paper trail.”
Luca placed the keys squarely in Sophie’s palm, closing her fingers gently around the cold metal.
“I need you to take the armored sedan and deliver these secondary audit records to our legal counsel at the downtown firm on Michigan Avenue. Do not trust the digital servers. Deliver them in person.”
Sophie looked down at the heavy keys, feeling the immense weight of the trust being placed in her hands.
“I won't let you down, sir,” she said without a moment of hesitation.
May you like
“I know you won't,” Luca replied, his dark eyes locking onto hers with absolute certainty.
“Take two of Daniel’s best security men with you. And Sophie... be careful who you talk to once you step outside those gates. The city is about to get very, very noisy.”
