Chapter 34 - The Hidden Inheritance
“No,” I said firmly, though my mind raced back through every box of old medical books, photo albums, and personal effects I had packed away during my apartment eviction a year ago. “My father gave me his stethoscope, his medical reference library, and a box of old prescription pads. There was no microchip.”
Reinhardt chuckled—a dry, humorless sound. “Fathers in our line of work are notoriously secretive, Doctor. He knew the Berlin Syndicate would hunt down anyone bearing his bloodline. That is why we have been watching you for months. From your days in the downtown emergency room, to your bold entrance into this very mountain fortress.”
Dominic moved with terrifying speed. Before Reinhardt could blink, Dominic closed the distance, grabbed the courier by the lapels of his expensive charcoal suit, and slammed him against the reinforced oak bookshelf with a deafening crash.
“You’ve been watching her?” Dominic hissed, his face inches from the German’s, his voice dropping into a lethal, arctic whisper that made my own blood freeze. “You put eyes on my wife?”
“Dominic, stop,” I commanded, stepping forward and laying a hand on his forearm. “He’s baiting you. He wants us reactive.”
Dominic held the courier pinned against the wood for three agonizing seconds, his knuckles white with suppressed rage. Then, slowly, he loosened his grip, shoving Reinhardt back with a look of absolute disgust.
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“Listen to me very carefully, Reinhardt,” Dominic snarled, straightening his own cuffs. “You are standing in my house, on my territory. If I ever find out your operatives came within a mile of my wife again, diplomatic passport or not, I won’t just throw you off the cliff. I’ll feed you to the fish in pieces.”
Reinhardt adjusted his lapels, his pale blue eyes flashing with a dangerous, hidden satisfaction. “You can threaten me all you want, Mr. Rossi. But the Berlin Syndicate does not negotiate with local criminals. If Dr. Hayes does not hand over the microchip within forty-eight hours, we will release files to the international press proving that the Rossi syndicate’s new legitimate pharmaceutical front is funded by stolen European assets. Your empire collapses legally, economically, and permanently.”
