Chapter 5 - The Trap is Set
By 4:00 AM, the back parlor had transformed into a makeshift command center. The sleeping Sofia had been gently carried upstairs to the guest suite by Maria, who returned moments later with her sleeves rolled up and her mind fully focused on the operation.
"If Vincent is hiding in New Jersey," Maria said, tapping a digital map displayed on my secure tablet, "he’s likely using a burner phone registered under a false identity. But he’s arrogant. He believes he outsmarted you."
"He is arrogant," I agreed, pouring two fresh cups of black coffee from the carafe. I handed one to Maria. "Which is why he won't be able to resist a transmission from this drive."
"What do you mean?"
"We are going to ping a localized signal from the drive’s encrypted serial number to an open-frequency channel Vincent still monitors," I explained, pulling my laptop toward me. "We’ll make it look like an anonymous blackmailer is trying to sell the financial ledgers back to him for half a million dollars in untraceable crypto."
Maria’s eyes widened slightly. "Will he bite?"
"Like a starving shark," I said grimly. "Vincent spent his entire life stealing money and betraying allies. The thought of someone else holding the leverage over him will drive him insane. He’ll insist on a face-to-face meeting to verify the files before paying."
"And where will the meeting be?"
"An abandoned rail yard in Long Island City," I said, my voice dropping into a cold, flat register. "Neutral ground. Far away from my estate, far away from police patrols, and entirely under our control."
Maria took a sip of her coffee, her gaze steady. "And what do I do during the meet?"
"You stay here, behind three sets of iron gates and twenty armed guards," I said instantly, leaving no room for argument. "This is my world, Maria. I brought the wolves to your door, and I am the one who is going to put them down. You’ve done your part."
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"No," Maria said, setting her mug down on the table with a sharp click. "I'm not sitting here waiting while the man who murdered my husband walks into a trap. I want to see his face when he realizes the game is over."
I opened my mouth to argue, to pull rank, to remind her that I was the boss and she was my employee. But when I looked into her dark, unyielding eyes, I realized the words would be useless. She wasn't asking for permission. She was stating a condition.
