LOGINMarvin dropped a cardboard box onto the metal table."Cops found the waiter uniform in a dumpster three blocks away," Marvin said. "The guy used bleach on his hands. No prints."Marvin frowned. "Moretti's losing his mind, Lina. Hugo took a knife to the arm. They want blood.""Then we make sure Tokyo pays for it in daylight," Lina said, grabbing her notebook. "The money trail story already put Tanaka's name in every headline in the city. Now we tie him to a hit on a journalist. Once the elders see that, they'll pull his plug themselves."Sophia clicked enter. "Files just hit Moss's server. The transaction logs go to the grand jury tonight.""Get the follow-up drafted, Marvin," Lina said. "We run it the second Moss confirms the warrant."Rain hit the penthouse glass, blurring the city lights below. Tanaka stood by the desk while Shinjiro paced a tight line across the rug, boots wearing the same track into the fibers."Your shooter screwed up!" Shinjiro yelled, fist cracking against the
Hugo walked into the study, tossing a plastic evidence bag onto the mahogany desk. The plastic slapped hard against the wood. Dominic sat back, staring at the crushed micro-tracker inside."A ghost hit the Continental," Hugo said, leaning against the edge. A dark smear of blood stained his cuff. "Posed as a waiter. Six-inch combat knife."Dominic picked up the bag, knuckles whitening as he squeezed the broken circuits. "Lina?""She's upstairs in the west wing," Hugo reported. "Shaken up, but not a scratch. I dragged her out through the freight elevator before the lobby turned into a circus. The shooter lost himself in the stampede.""The cops?""Swarming the place," Hugo said. "The three suits kept our names out of it. We're off the ledger."Dominic walked to the window. Freezing rain lashed the glass, blurring the neon skyline. Dark rage settled into his chest."Get the strike teams ready," Dominic growled. "Call Ivan. I want the East Pier shooters armed and ready tonight."Hugo paus
The safehouse smelled of stale coffee and hot computer towers. Marvin was deep in a spreadsheet while Sophia tracked the data lines on her screen. Lina stood over the metal desk, tapping a pen against her notepad."We need to drag these vans into the light," Lina said, tapping the monitor. "We have the routing codes, but we need to show people where the tech is dropping."Marvin paused, looking up. "The online pieces are hitting hard, Lina. The street is talking.""It's not enough," Lina said, shaking her head. "We need the people with the checkbooks. We're going to set up a private meeting downtown."Sophia turned her chair around. "Who are we inviting?""The big supply chain bosses and local business owners," Lina said, voice tight. "The guys who are still terrified of Shinjiro burning their assets down. They're sitting on the fence.""They're going to be hesitant to talk to us," Marvin noted, pulling up the secure contacts directory."Not when we show them Moretti's contracts," Lin
"The crypto just cleared," Tanaka said, tapping the tablet screen. "The first batch of restricted tech is through. We're looking at a four hundred percent return on the initial buy."Kenji stood by the bar, scotch in hand. He walked to the desk, tracking the green charts. "The drivers said the back roads are clear. The vans are bypassing the highway scales entirely."Kenji set his glass down. "I just locked in three new buyers downtown. Private surgical clinics. They're buying every unlisted sedative we can drop.""Keep the drops small," Tanaka warned, leaning back. "Stay away from the main docks. We make our money in the dark."Shinjiro stood by the doors, hand resting on his sidearm. "The Vanguard guards are already on the routes. The vans are moving."Tanaka looked at the young commander. "Just make sure your boys keep their heads down. No shooting unless someone touches the cargo."Shinjiro growled under his breath but held his tongue."The Panama servers just processed the West D
Tanaka sat behind the mahogany desk, neatly stacking the financial ledgers.Madame Cleo stepped up, sliding a tablet across the wood. "We're dumping the freight business. The remaining cash is going into unlisted pharmaceuticals, micro-tech, and high-grade weapon parts. No paper trail. No permits."Shinjiro pushed away from the doorframe, combat boots thudding against the rug. "So we're running from the Italians? Turning tail like beaten dogs?""We're making a profit, kid," Tanaka said, unbothered. "Let Moretti haul steel and concrete. Let him fight the unions and the regulators. We're gonna slip through the cracks and take the real money."The wall monitor chimed, flaring white as a Tokyo elder appeared on the screen. Kenji immediately lowered his head."We saw the numbers," the elder's voice crackled. "Tanaka stopped the bleeding. The internal fighting ends today."Kenji swallowed hard. "I built the network here, It takes time.""You broke the network," the elder snapped. "You and y
Dominic stood by the railing, watching the long line of transport trucks moving layout. The volume was breaking records, and the logistics grid was running flawless. For the first time in weeks, his shoulders weren't carrying the weight.He turned to his enforcer. "Hugo. Shut down the dispatch lines at noon."Hugo blinked, confused. "Shut them down? We're redlining profit right now, boss.""Give the boys a half-day off," Dominic said, something rare and easy in his voice. "Fire up the pits. We're throwing a barbecue right on the asphalt. Let everyone roll their sleeves down and eat."By afternoon, the scent of charred meat and cheap beer filled the loading bays. Hundreds of dockworkers cheered, slamming crystal mugs together.Dominic stepped onto a flatbed trailer, looking down at the crowd. He caught Ivan and Yuri's eyes and signaled them over."Ivan. Yuri. Front and center," Dominic called out over the noise.The two men stepped up, chest out but breathing tight."The trust tried to
The newsroom was a chaotic symphony of clicking keys and dying dreams. Lina Rossi didn't move. She just stared at the 404 error on her screen like it was a death warrant. Thirty pages of the Pier 7 expose—gone."You gonna click 'publish' or just wait for the screen to burn your retinas out?" Sophia
A private yacht cut through the gray fog of the East Pier, moving in a total blackout. Ichiro Takahashi stood on the freezing deck, his trench coat snapping in the wind. He took a drag from his cigarette, the ember glowing an angry orange through the mist.Shinjiro hurried up behind him. "We're on
Victor marched into the penthouse and stood over Kenji Takahashi, looking down at the man glued to his tablet."Marco is a corpse, Kenji," Victor said. "The Feds are scrubbing his blood off the pier as we speak."Kenji didn't look up. He swiped the screen, his face a mask of cold glass. "Dominic us
Miller shoved the crime scene photos across the desk. Glossy bloodstains stared back at them."Look at this," Miller snapped. "Tell me what you see, Reed."Reed didn't blink. He picked up a shot of a dead pizza kid. "Moretti. He’s marking his territory with bodies now.""Marco took two blocks in fo







