Chapter 1 - The Trap In The Drawing Room
The snap of the heavy leather folder closing sounded like a gunshot in the grand salon.
Richard Vale’s face flushed an ugly, mottled crimson beneath the glare of the crystal chandeliers.
"Mr. Vitale, this is preposterous," Richard stammered, pulling at his stiff bow tie. "Are you really going to question five months of strategic financial structuring based on the delusions of a retail shop assistant?"
Alessandro Vitale did not raise his voice.
He didn't need to.
He simply looked down at the forged documents resting on the polished mahogany console table.
"Natalie Collins spent twelve years managing the highest-grade printing equipment on the Eastern Seaboard," Alessandro said, his tone chillingly smooth.
"You, Richard, spent the last twelve minutes sweating through a six-thousand-dollar tuxedo."
Marco stepped forward silently from the shadows near the grand archway.
The bodyguard didn't draw a weapon, but his hand moved casually inside his dark wool coat, settling over his left rib.
Two other armed men closed the double mahogany doors leading into the main ballroom, cutting off the festive jazz music and isolating the drawing room from the rest of the mansion.
"Marco," Alessandro murmured, his eyes never leaving Richard’s twitching hands.
"Escort Mr. Vale to the lower garden terrace. Check every phone, every encrypted drive, and every passport on his person."
"Wait! Alessandro, please!" Richard cried out, stumbling backward until his spine struck a gilded marble pedestal.
"I was acting under orders! You think I wanted to skim from your foundation? You have no idea who is financing the shortfall!"
"I don't need to guess," Alessandro said softly. "You'll tell Marco within twenty minutes."
With a single jerk of Marco's broad chin, two guards seized Richard by his arms and dragged him through the concealed service door behind the velvet draperies.
The door clicked shut, leaving an eerie, suffocating silence in the room.
Natalie stood beside the fireplace, her fingers gripping the edge of her four-year-old navy clutch until her knuckles turned white.
Her heart hammered violently against her ribs.
She had only come here to represent Bell Paper, to check some gold foil and embossed lilies.
Instead, she had just halted a nine-million-dollar criminal wire transfer, and the man she had hugged like an affectionate sibling was currently giving orders that sounded like executions.
Alessandro turned his dark eyes back toward her.
The lethal stillness in his face softened by a fraction of a millimeter.
"You have remarkable eyes, Miss Collins," he said, stepping toward her with slow, deliberate steps.
"Most people see what they expect to see. You saw an eleventh petal."
"In my line of work, missing details get you sued by brides," Natalie whispered, her throat dry.
"In my line of work," Alessandro replied, pausing two feet away, "missing details get people buried beneath foundation footings."
Natalie swallowed hard, resisting the urge to step backward into the roaring fireplace.
"I did my job, Mr. Vitale. I should probably leave before the guests notice the missing documents."
"You cannot go home tonight, Natalie," Alessandro said quietly.
She stared at him, cold dread creeping up her neck.
"Excuse me?"
"Richard didn't orchestrate a nine-million-dollar counterfeit transfer on his own," Alessandro explained, his voice dipping into a low, protective rumble.
"He works for the Moretti syndicate across the river. The moment Richard doesn't check in with his handler tonight, they will look at who was in this room. And Bell Paper will not be safe."
Before Natalie could object, her phone vibrated violently against her palm.
The screen lit up with an incoming call from Michael.
She tapped the screen and held it to her ear, her breath catching in her throat.
"Michael? Are you back at the dorm?"
"Natalie?"
May you like
A strange, gravelly voice came over the speaker, low and menacing.
"Your brother is currently enjoying our hospitality near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. If you want him to attend medical school graduation, bring the Vitale certificates to Pier 14."
