Chapter 6 - Betrayal in the Ranks
For the next three days, an unspoken shift transformed the executive suite of Hamilton Enterprises. Caitlyn still carried her tablet, still organized meetings, and still drafted complex shipping contracts, but the dynamic had irrevocably changed. Deari no longer allowed her to work past 7:00 PM. A private driver escorted her to and from her apartment, and every morning, a fresh cup of artisan coffee and breakfast from the city’s finest patisserie was placed on her desk before she arrived.
More importantly, Dr. Vance had called her in tears of relief. Tommy had already begun his experimental therapy, moved into a private luxury wing with private nurses, and showed immediate signs of stabilization.
Yet peace was an illusion in Deari Hamilton’s empire.
In the underground parking garage beneath the corporate headquarters, the air was thick with the smell of exhaust and damp concrete. Luigi Cavalier leaned against a concrete pillar, his phone pressed tightly to his ear, his eyes darting toward the security cameras he had looped ten minutes earlier.
""He’s gone soft, Julian,"" Luigi hissed into the receiver. ""The boss wired half a million dollars of syndicate operating cash to some crippled kid in Pennsylvania just to impress that little secretary.""
On the other end of the encrypted line, Julian Moretti let out a dark, mocking laugh. ""Deari Hamilton, the great dock butcher, playing white knight for an office girl. How the mighty have fallen.""
""It’s an insult to the organization,"" Luigi growled, his knuckles white around his steering wheel. ""I've bled for this family for ten years, and he treats an administrative girl better than his own capos. The men are getting restless. If Hamilton loses his edge, the whole empire crumbles.""
""Then let's take it from him,"" Julian said, his voice dropping into a sinister purr. ""The docks transfer agreement is set to be signed tonight at the harbor warehouse. Deari will be there with minimal security to finalize the contracts. Bring the girl with you. Use her as leverage. We eliminate Deari, you take over the Hamilton logistics network, and the Morettis control the harbor unchallenged.""
Luigi hesitated for a fraction of a second. Treason against Deari Hamilton was a death sentence. But jealousy and wounded pride had poisoned his mind. ""What happens to the girl?""
""She humiliated me in front of the entire high society,"" Julian sneered coldly. ""Once Deari is dead, I’ll deal with Miss Elmore personally. Do we have a deal, Luigi?""
Luigi looked toward the elevator bank where Caitlyn was currently descending to prepare the midnight transport files. ""We have a deal. Warehouse 14. Midnight.""
Upstairs in the private office, Caitlyn was filing the final harbor deeds when Deari stepped out of his private quarters. He had swapped his business suit for tactical black attire—a heavy kevlar-lined jacket, dark trousers, and an untucked tactical shirt concealing two sidearms.
""Caitlyn,"" he said, strapping a tactical watch to his wrist. ""You're going home. My driver will take you back to Queens.""
Caitlyn frowned, setting her tablet down. ""Sir, the closing meeting with the harbor authorities requires my administrative signature. I am the designated corporate notary on the manifest.""
Deari looked at her, his jaw tightening. ""Something feels wrong tonight. The harbor unions have been uncharacteristically quiet, and Moretti’s men haven't made a single retaliatory move since the gala. I don't want you anywhere near the docks.""
""Mr. Hamilton, if the notary isn't present, the acquisition is legally void under New York maritime law,"" she insisted, stepping closer to him, her eyes steady. ""You spent six months orchestrating this takeover. I won't let a procedural loophole ruin your victory. I’m coming with you.""
Deari stared at her, seeing once again the fierce, unwavering loyalty that had drawn him to her from the beginning. She was terrified of the violence, yet she refused to let him walk into a legal trap alone.
May you like
He reached out, his hand gently cupping the back of her neck, pulling her close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his skin. ""You stay behind me at all times. If a single shot is fired, you drop to the floor and you do not move until I come get you. Do you hear me?""
""I hear you,"" she whispered, her heart hammering against her ribs, not from fear, but from the raw, intoxicating proximity of his lips.
