Chapter 3: The Volt

Robert P.O.V

The ice melted slowly in my glass, the clinking sound a faint melody against the bustling cityscape of Chicago below. The city never sleeps , much like me. My thoughts swirled, much like the amber liquid in the glass I held, heavy with the weight of decisions I was going to make, the ones I could not take back even if I wanted to, and the ones I was about to make tonight are going to stay with me forever.

"What is on your mind?"

I turned my head to see Riccardo, my younger brother, leaning back in the plush leather seat of the limo with legs crossed , his sharp gaze cutting into me like a scalpel. His eyes were narrowing further with each second passed, probably trying to see what was going through my head . These days I don't even know what is going through my head myself.

"Nothing," I muttered, setting my glass down on the minibar beside me.

"Don't lie to me," Riccardo said with a faint smirk.

Before I could answer, Dant's gruff voice interrupted from the seat opposite mine. "The guy's about to be the new capo dei capi. What else would he need to think about? If it was me who was going to be the next leader of the Italian mafia of Chicago I would probably jump out of this running car. I would rather die than to get more entangled than I already am."

Hearing his words I looked at him .Dant looked like hell. His dark circles could rival the Chicago River at midnight, and his usual sharp demeanor was dulled by exhaustion. The man hadn't slept in three days, yet his sarcasm remained intact. He would not be attending the event if Riccardo had not pulled him out of the office. If it was in Dant’s hand he would have served all ties from our family a long time ago but he had taken the oath to stay loyal to omertà and there is no out in the mafia. The only out of this is in a body bag.

"Not everything revolves around you, Dant," Riccardo snapped. "Maybe Robert’s thinking about him."

I tensed at the mention of our estranged brother. Nick. The one who walked away from this life. The one who chose freedom over all of us. Even if I want to blame him for what is happening to me I can not. I am happy for him that he found happiness and peace after leaving this life. I just wish I was able to do the same and just ended up being the pawn on the next line of my father's greedy game.

“I am not thinking about him,” I lied.

Riccardo leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “You miss him.”

“It does not matter,” I replied, my voice colder than intended. “Nick made his choice. We made ours. End of story.”

The silence that followed was deafening, filled only by the hum of the car’s engine. Liliana was sitting silently the entire time observing us and our conversation from where he was sitting.

Nick’s choice to leave the mafia left a scar, but his absence also served as a reminder of what I could not have. Freedom. Normalcy. Though Nick was born in this life but he was never born for this. He was too soft to handle the darkness of this life but he was the first born. According to the mafia the first born will take over the legacy but when he stepped away all duties and responsibilities came down to my shoulder. One thing is our father right, he trained all of us equally,so it was not hard to take over the responsibility when my twin brother walked away from this life and If I also move away from this life, the chaos that would ensue would tear Chicago apart.

The limo jerked to a halt, pulling me from my thoughts. Both car doors opened simultaneously, and our bodyguards stepped out, scanning the surroundings before motioning for us to exit. The chill of the night bit at my skin as we stepped into the dimly lit driveway of the venue.

The grand hall loomed ahead, its entrance flanked by reporters, cameras flashing incessantly. We slipped on our masks, the anonymity shielding us from the prying eyes of the world, yet amplifying the weight of the roles we played.

The hall was bathed in soft golden light as we entered, a stark contrast to the darkness outside. Politicians, businessmen, and socialites filled the space, each vying for a piece of the DiFronzo empire.

I scanned the crowd out of habit.As my gaze flitting from face to face, analyzing alliances, assessing threats my eyes fell on her.

A woman with long black hair stood among a group of elegantly dressed women, her red dress clinging to her like a second skin. The neckline dipped just enough to tease, and the fabric cascaded down her body like liquid fire. She exuded confidence, a sharp contrast to the delicate mask that concealed her identity.

Our eyes met.

She held my gaze for a moment, then broke it, turning away as if dismissing me. Intrigued, I watched her abandon her companions, weaving through the crowd with effortless grace. There was something about her ,something that demanded my attention.

For a brief moment, I forgot about everything, the chaos of my life, the sadness lingering in my frozen piece of muscles in my chest . Everything.

Nora P.O.V

Crawling through the narrow AC ducts was far from glamorous. My arms and knees ached as I maneuvered through the tight space, each movement sending a fine layer of dust into the air. Sweat dripped down my temple, dampening the fabric of my black, full-body suit.

I had ditched the red dress and shapewear in the washroom, hiding them in the toilet tank. Now, dressed in my covert gear. Karma must have to bite my ass if I am doing this.The pouch strapped to my waist contained everything I needed, the tools, explosives, and a few other gadgets. I just hope those explosives do not get activated while I am crawling through the AC ducts, otherwise Fourth of July and New year will be celebrated tonight .

My earpiece crackled to life.

"Agent 64, can you hear me?"

"Yes, sir," I replied, keeping my voice low. "I am in the ducts."

"Good. I am patching Cyber in now."

A soft beep signaled the handoff.

“Nora, you are in the east duct,” Cyber's voice said, calm and precise. “The vault room is in the center of the building. Go straight, take the right fork, then continue ahead.”

I followed his directions, inching forward on hands and knees. The heat was unbearable, the stale air thick with dust.

"You are one minute away," Cyber informed me. “There is one more turn before the vault.”

“Easy for you to say,” I grumbled under my breath. “Try crawling through five inches of dirt and sweat, then get back to me.”

The vibration of my bracelet confirmed I was close. I reached the final turn and spotted the metallic tile Cyber had mentioned. The adhesive wallpaper concealed the opening, but I quickly peeled it back, revealing the screws holding the tile in place.

“Agent 64, I am going to disable the cameras in the room for three minutes. Deactivate the locks of the vault and Grab the diamonds,” Cyber said.

“Copy that.”

“Your three minutes starts in”

“1”

“2”

“And 3”

“Go”

I unscrewed the tile with my multi-purpose pen, careful not to make noise. Once the tile was loose, I pushed it gently, letting it fall to the carpeted floor below. The room was soundproof, that was a small mercy.

I slipped out of the duct, landing silently on the floor. I quickly place the metallic tile back in its place as it was before so no will be suspicious.The vault loomed ahead, a massive titanium door with a big five scope polished handle that needed to be turned in a special pattern to open three locks on one side of the titanium door and a keypad to unlock the main lock and finally there was a circular ring , turning it will open the vault.

“Cyber, I am at the vault.”

“Two minutes, forty-five seconds,” he replied.

I pulled out a small device from my pouch, attaching it to the keypad. The screen blinked .

“You got access to the keypad?” I asked in the earpiece.

“Got it" I detached the device after he said that and put it back in my pouch

The adrenaline coursing through my veins drowned out everything else.

“Let’s hope this works,” I muttered, glancing at the timer on my bracelet. Three left and two right then . I grabbed the five scope handle and began to turn according to the pattern.

The first lock clicked open. One down, two to go. Way to go.