Chapter 4 - The Interrogation and the ThreatInside the partially walled living room, the tied-up mercenary regained consciousness, groaning as he struggled against heavy zip-ties biting into his wrists. He blinked against the harsh mountain light filtering through the open framing, staring up into the towering, unrelenting presence of Daniel Yellowhawk.
"Who sent you?" Daniel demanded, his voice a low, lethal rumble that made the mercenary flinch.
The man sneered, blood trickling from a split lip. "You’re dead, Cherokee. You and that mutt of yours. Don Salvatore knows where the girl is, and he knows about the ledger. You think hiding out in the Montana boondocks protects you from the Chicago Syndicate? You’re playing in the wrong league."
Clara stood near the stone hearth, her breath catching in her throat. Chicago Syndicate? Mafia? This was far beyond the petty bullying of Ashford Falls; this was a war involving dangerous men who left bodies in their wake.
Daniel didn't flinch at the name. Instead, his eyes narrowed into cold obsidian slits. "Don Salvatore can send every soldier he has. None of them are leaving this mountain alive."
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The mercenary laughed, a manic, desperate sound. "You think you can protect her? Salvatore’s personal enforcer, Victor Rossi, is already in town. He’s tearing Ashford Falls apart looking for the dog and the girl who sheltered it. Oh, did your little girlfriend forget to mention something?" The mercenary shot a malicious grin toward Clara. "That dog you love so much, Yellowhawk? It didn't just wander off. It’s carrying something worth fifty million dollars in encrypted crypto keys sewn into its collar."
Clara’s gaze snapped toward Bane, who sat calmly beside her, occasionally licking his paw as if he hadn’t just been accused of carrying a fortune in stolen mafia assets.
