Chapter 3 - Secrets of the Secondhand Coat
The revelation hung in the air like a suffocating fog. Nina’s breath caught in her throat. The freezing old man... was a mafia boss?
Inside the grand library of Dante's estate, a fire crackled in a massive stone hearth, but Nina couldn't feel the warmth. She paced back and forth on a plush Persian rug, while Dante stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, speaking rapidly into an encrypted phone.
When he hung up, his expression was grim.
"Mikhail Kovac built the most ruthless criminal empire this city has ever seen," Dante said, turning to her. "Five years ago, his younger brother, Viktor, staged a coup. Mikhail was reportedly killed. Instead, it seems he’s been living on the streets, hiding in plain sight to escape his brother's hitmen."
"But why was he sitting there?" Nina asked, her voice barely a whisper. "He was freezing. He looked so fragile. He didn't look like a monster."
"Monsters grow old too, Nina," Dante said softly, walking over to her. He stopped just inches away, his towering frame casting a shadow over her. "But here is what doesn't make sense. Viktor Kovac's men didn't attack you because of Mikhail. They attacked you because of your father. They mentioned a ledger."
"I told you, my dad is an innocent man!" Nina insisted, tears of frustration stinging her eyes. "He’s a teacher!"
"Is he?" Dante raised an eyebrow, pulling a tablet from his desk. He tapped the screen and handed it to her. "Look at this."
It was a scanned document from twenty-five years ago. A payroll sheet for the Kovac shipping company. Listed under the chief financial auditor was the name: Thomas Walsh.
Nina felt the room tilt beneath her feet. "No... no, this can't be."
"Your father wasn't just a teacher, Nina. Before you were born, he was the primary accountant for Mikhail Kovac. When Mikhail fell, your father fled to Chicago, took a teaching degree, and changed his life. But he took something with him. The master ledger containing every bank account, every bribe, and every hidden asset the Kovacs own."
Dante took a step closer, his hand reaching out to gently cup her jaw. His touch was surprisingly warm, sending a shiver through her that had nothing to do with the cold. "Viktor Kovac thinks your father gave that ledger to you. Did he?"
"No!" Nina cried, staring into Dante's intense grey eyes. "He never said anything about a ledger! He just told me..." She stopped, her eyes widening as a sudden, terrifying memory slammed into her mind.
"What?" Dante pressed, his thumb brushing against her lower lip. "What did he tell you, Nina?"
"Two winters ago, before he got really sick... he sent me a package," she whispered, her heart pounding frantically. "He told me he bought a coat for me from an old vintage shop in Chicago. He told me to never lose it. He said it was a lucky coat."
Dante’s eyes flared with sudden, brilliant realization.
"The peacoat," Dante said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "The navy peacoat you gave to the old man on the bench last night."
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Nina staggered backward, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh my god. The ledger... it wasn't a book. It wasn't a digital file. It was sewn into the lining of that coat."
And she had just handed it directly to Mikhail Kovac.
