Chapter 6 - THE PRICE OF GREEDThe federal agents moved into the suite with quiet efficiency.
Two officers hauled Victor Rivas up from the floor, slapping heavy steel handcuffs onto his wrists while he muttered curses into the marble tiles. Another pair cuffed Chloe, who had stopped crying entirely, her face frozen in a mask of bitter, defeated fury as her designer coat dragged across the dusty floor.
"Read them their rights, transport them to federal holding, and make sure Gallagher is picked up from his garage," Marcus Vance ordered, waving a hand toward the door.
As Chloe was being dragged past Nicholas, she stopped for a fraction of a second, her eyes burning with pure venom.
"You always were a cold bastard, Nicholas," she hissed. "You never loved me. You never loved anyone."
"You forgot one detail, Chloe," Nicholas replied, not even turning his head to look at her. "I never pretended to be a saint. You pretended to be a partner."
The door clicked shut, sealing them away in the hallway, leaving only Nicholas, Sarah, and Marcus in the quiet expanse of the eastern suite.
Nicholas exhaled a long, ragged breath, feeling the last remnants of the chemical paralytic flush out of his system. He walked over to the medical cart, poured a glass of sterile water, and drank it down in one long, desperate swallow.
"Boss," Marcus said, stepping forward with a secure satellite phone. "The harbor master is on the line. Container ship The Leviathan is entering port ahead of schedule. All compromised routes were scrubbed before the Rivas crew could touch them."
"Good," Nicholas said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Double the patrols along the South Chicago docks. I want every container inspected twice. If a single box goes missing, I want heads on pikes."
"Understood." Marcus nodded, turning to leave the room.
When the heavy oak door closed a second time, only Nicholas and Sarah remained.
Sarah set her briefcase down on the edge of the medical bed and crossed her arms, looking at him with a mixture of professional respect and lingering concern. "You know, for a guy who was supposed to be completely incapacitated, you take unnecessary risks, Mr. Vescari."
"If I hadn't played dead, Sarah, we never would have caught Chloe and Victor in the same room signing their own arrest warrants," Nicholas replied, his voice returning to its normal, iron-clad authority.
"True," Sarah admitted with a faint smile. "Though I have to say... scrubbing baseboards for four days just to keep up appearances in your house was not in my job description."
"You’ll get hazard pay," Nicholas said, walking toward the private elevator built into the corner of the suite. "And as for the maid disguise—you played the part a little too well. Half the kitchen staff tried to adopt you."
Sarah laughed softly, packing her documents into her briefcase. "Being invisible has its perks. You learn a lot about people when they think nobody is watching."
"I noticed," Nicholas said, pressing the biometric scanner on the elevator wall. The doors slid open, revealing a private underground tunnel leading straight down to his command center. "Speaking of invisible people... where is the real Sue Miller?"
"Safehouse in Wisconsin," Sarah replied instantly. "Her mother’s medical bills are fully covered for the next ten years, courtesy of the Vescari asset forfeiture fund."
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Nicholas nodded, stepping into the elevator. Before the doors closed, he looked back at the federal agent who had saved his life by pretending to clean his floors.
"Good work, Agent Miller. Tomorrow, we take back the docks."
