Chapter 20 - The Reign of Two Shadows
Six months later. Lake Como, Italy.
The morning sun reflected brilliantly off the deep blue waters surrounding a sprawling private cliffside villa. The international news broadcast played quietly on a high-definition screen inside the open-air terrace:
"Federal authorities today officially closed the investigation into the horrific underworld war that devastated New York six months ago. With the bodies of Silas Miller, Anthony Moretti, and several high-ranking mob figures recovered from the burned-out ruins in Long Island, federal agents have officially declared both Dominic Moretti and Grace Miller dead..."
I reached out and clicked the screen off with a remote control.
I sat at a long marble dining table overlooking the lake, wearing a sharp linen suit, smoking a Cuban cigar. Nico stood near the stone archway, holding a secure satellite tablet, quietly reporting on our global shipping operations across Asia and Europe.
Light footsteps sounded against the marble floor.
Grace walked onto the terrace, wearing a sleeveless silk black dress, her blonde hair catching the Italian sunlight. She carried two crystal glasses and a bottle of decades-old scotch.
She sat down opposite me, setting the glasses on the table. She unbolted the top of the bottle and poured two finger-widths of the amber liquid into each glass.
"The New York Stock Exchange just completed the absorption of the final shell company," Grace said, her voice smooth, refined, and completely relaxed. "No one knows who owns the controlling shares. As far as the world is concerned, two ghosts run the global economy."
I picked up my glass, swirling the ice gently. I looked across the table at the woman who had once pretended to clean my floor, who had plotted my murder, and who had ultimately helped me conquer the underworld.
"A toast, then," I said, lifting my glass toward her.
Grace picked up her glass, her striking blue eyes locking onto mine with a dark, breathtaking intensity that still sent a cold thrill down my spine.
May you like
She leaned forward, her lips curving into a slow, devastating smile.
"Die before Friday, Dominic," Grace whispered softly, clinking her glass against mine with a clear, sharp chime. "The money moves faster when they think we stopped breathing."
