Chapter 6 - The Shadows at the Harbor
While Claire worked inside the penthouse—coaxing Lily to sip a few drops of water laced with honey from a plastic dinosaur spoon—Gabriel was miles away down at the New York Harbor, standing on a private, rain-slicked pier. Below him, massive cargo ships unloaded containers under the harsh glare of industrial floodlights.
Marcus stood beside him, holding a heavy manila folder.
"You were right to be suspicious, boss," Marcus said grimly. "We traced the leak. The ambush on the FDR Drive four days ago wasn't random. Someone inside our inner circle sold the convoy’s exact route, GPS coordinates, and vehicle armor specs to the Russo syndicate."
Gabriel’s eyes darkened into a deadly, freezing abyss. "Who?"
Marcus opened the folder, revealing a financial transaction report and a security badge access log. "It wasn't a soldier. It wasn't a captain. It came from the domestic staffing agency—Pembrook. And specifically, through the director’s personal assistant."
Gabriel’s fist clenched around the railing, metal groaning under his grip. "Vivian Chase’s office?"
"No," Marcus corrected quietly. "Vivian Chase runs a clean operation, but her lead coordinator—a woman named Evelyn Vance—has been on the Russos' payroll for six months. She’s the one who vetted every single nanny that entered this house. She’s the one who placed the previous three nannies, making sure they were incompetent, easily manipulated, or wired with listening devices."
"And Claire Donnelly?" Gabriel demanded. "How does she fit into this?"
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"That’s the interesting part," Marcus said, flipping a page. "Evelyn Vance didn't place Claire. In fact, Evelyn tried to block Claire’s emergency dispatch last night. Vivian Chase overruled her because the girl was desperate for cash to pay her mother's hospital bills. Claire Donnelly wasn't sent by the Russos... she was a wild card."
Gabriel stared out across the dark, churning water of the harbor. A wild card. In a game where every single piece was accounted for, a desperate girl from Astoria had just walked onto his board.
