Chapter 4 - THE RAT IN THE TOWER
The Costa Lakefront Estate was a fortress of glass, steel, and high-tech security, overlooking the churning, dark waters of Lake Michigan. For three days, Nora was kept inside the master wing, provided with fine clothes, warm meals, and round-the-clock protection.
Yet, she felt like a bird in a gilded cage.
Damian’s shoulder was healing rapidly under the care of top-tier private surgeons, but his heart was consumed by war. Reports poured in every hour: Falcone was moving aggressively, seizing Costa shipping docks and executing low-level lieutenants.
On the fourth night, Damian entered Nora’s room. He had dropped his usual blood-soaked suit for a tailored black shirt, his jaw dark with stubble.
"You look like a ghost," Nora said gentle, standing up from the window seat.
"I’m hunting one," Damian replied, pacing the room. "Falcone couldn't have pulled off the Rush Street ambush with just Lorenzo. Lorenzo was a muscle man, not an strategist. Someone else leaked my exact route that night. Someone inside my inner council."
Nora thought back to the alley, to the precise timing of the fire escapes, and to the way Lorenzo had spoken.
"When Lorenzo shot Mateo," Nora recalled slowly, her brows furrowing, "he said something. He said, 'Falcone offered me half the city... you kept us in the shadows hiding behind real estate.'"
Damian stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes narrowed. "Real estate?"
"Yes," Nora said. "He specifically mentioned the real estate holdings. Who manages the financial transfers for your legal developments?"
Damian’s face transformed into an expression of absolute, terrifying coldness. "Julian. My father’s brother. My uncle."
Before Damian could move toward the door, the estate’s emergency alarms roared to life, painting the walls in flashing crimson light. The deep boom of high-caliber explosions detonated at the outer perimeter gates.
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The glass windows trembled.
Valeria burst into the room, blood splattered across her tactical vest. "Boss! We’ve been breached! They bypassed the electronic grid using master override codes! It’s Falcone’s main assault force—and they’re being led by your uncle Julian!"
