Chapter 9 - Shadows of the Past
The heavy oak doors of Matthew Rossi’s private security office rattled softly as a thick dossier landed squarely on the mahogany desk.
Matthew sat back in his leather executive chair, rubbing his temples as he stared at the freshly printed background check on Sienna Holloway.
"Find anything concerning?" asked one of Lorenzo’s senior intelligence operatives, leaning against the doorframe with a cup of black coffee.
"Her civil records in New Orleans are entirely clean, but her abrupt departure eight months ago was far more complicated than a simple cross-country move," Matthew replied, flipping open the folder.
"She wasn't just fleeing standard poverty; she was running away from a predatory loan shark connected to the local Louisiana syndicates."
The operative raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "Does the boss know about this?"
"Not yet, but he will," Matthew muttered grimly, lighting a cigarette despite the strict no-smoking policy in the corporate office.
"The loan shark she owed down south is a minor-league thug named Frankie 'The Knife' Marcone, and according to our wiretaps, he just discovered she landed a high-profile gig in Chicago."
"Marcone thinks he can use her leverage to muscle his way into our territory, assuming Lorenzo won't care about a simple waitress."
Matthew stood up abruptly, his expression hardening into a cold, lethal mask of syndicate authority.
"If Marcone crosses state lines looking for Sienna, he won't even make it past O'Hare Airport alive."
"Double the security detail around her apartment complex immediately, and make sure none of her personal mail gets intercepted by outsiders."
"The boss has finally found a fraction of his humanity after three years in the dark, and I'll be damned if some low-level southern punk ruins it."
May you like
The operative nodded briskly, turning on his heel to dispatch the tactical units across the city before walking out into the hallway.
Matthew stared back down at Sienna's photograph in the dossier, realizing that protecting her would require waging a two-front war against both Miami's cartel and New Orleans' underground scum.
