Chapter 13 - THE GHOST OF THE VANCESThe silence in the courthouse lobby was deafening. Even the distant hum of the city traffic outside seemed to fade away, replaced by the heavy, oppressive realization that the nightmare was far from over.
"Salvatore Vance is a butcher," Adrian said, his jaw clenching as he stared down at the dropped letter on the marble floor. "He ruled the docks with an iron fist before he faked his own death during the 2011 syndicate purge. If he’s back, and he knows you have that flash drive containing Moretti’s financial records... he’s planning to unite the remaining criminal syndicates under his bloodline."
"He said... he said he’d make sure Clara’s heart surgery tomorrow morning doesn't happen," I choked out, hot tears stinging my eyes as terror gripped my heart. "Adrian, I can't let anything happen to my sister. She's all I have left."
Dante knelt, carefully picking up the letter with a gloved hand and sliding it into an evidence pouch.
"Boss, it’s a trap," Dante said flatly. "Salvatore wants the drive, and he wants to eliminate any loose ends from the old regime. If Elena goes to that railway terminal alone at midnight, she walks straight into an execution."
"I know it's a trap," Adrian replied, his obsidian eyes locking onto mine with fierce, unyielding intensity. "Which is why she isn't going alone. And neither am I."
"No!" I protested, shaking my head rapidly. "If Salvatore sees you there, it will trigger an all-out war. He’ll use Clara as leverage against both of us!"
"Elena, listen to me," Adrian said, stepping closer and grabbing both of my shoulders, his grip warm, steady, and fierce. "When you pulled my daughter from that freezing dumpster, you risked your life for someone you didn't even know. You became family to me that night, whether you wanted to or not. I built an empire protecting what is mine. I am not about to let a ghost from the past take away the woman who saved my child's life."
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Maya watched us in stunned silence, her jaw slightly slack. Dante gave a slow, grim nod of approval.
"We set a counter-trap," Dante suggested, a lethal smile touching his lips. "We let Salvatore think Elena is walking into his trap alone. Meanwhile, my tactical teams will surround the abandoned railway terminal from every angle. When he steps out of the shadows to claim the drive, we take him down once and for all."
