Chapter 51: Luca De Rossi's Board

Liam's POV

Marcus was quiet. Sitting still. But I could tell he was watching me.

“You don’t believe it, do you?” he finally said.

I rubbed my palms together. “I don’t know, man… Luca De Rossi could traffic drugs or guns, but humans?” I looked up at him. “I don’t think so.”

Marcus shook his head slowly, almost like he didn’t recognize me. “Liam. You’re investigating an international criminal. All possibilities must be considered.”

“I get that,” I said, not even trying to argue. “But I’ve been on this case for years. I’ve seen things. Heard worse. But never human trafficking. Not once. That’s not his pattern.”

“You said it yourself,” Marcus said. “He hides it well. That doesn’t mean he’s clean.”

I leaned back in the chair. “Look… the weird sexual stuff, yeah. I’ve heard that. But that was mostly Alexa. She had… tastes. There are rumors. But Luca De Rossi?” I shook my head again. “He’s more into brutal silence. Kill whoever he suspects, wipe it clean. That’s his signature. Not smuggling girls across borders.”

“Besides,” I added, “who does that these days? Who still traffics people like cargo?”

Marcus exhaled sharply, pushing off the table like he was about to leave. I noticed.

“Relax,” I said. “I’m not brushing this off. I know you're trying to help. And I’m grateful. But this... it just doesn’t feel like Luca De Rossi.”

Marcus didn’t sit, but he nodded once. “So what now?”

I turned to Stephanie. She was still sitting quietly like she didn’t want to breathe too loud.

“You said the guy who recruited you… what do they call him again?”

She looked up. “Gold. Because he has a gold tooth. That’s all I know.”

“Right,” I said. “I’ll look into him.”

Marcus turned to her. “Can you find your way back?”

She nodded. “Yes. I’ll be fine.”

“Good,” he said, then walked her to the door.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, I called out, “Come on. Let me show you something.”

Marcus followed me down the hallway. I stopped at the room beside mine. My private room. Unlocked it and turned on the lights.

The board stood tall in the middle of the room, and all over the walls were files, photos, maps, timelines… everything I’d ever gathered on Luca De Rossi.

Marcus stepped in, looked around slowly. “Damn…”

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Welcome to the obsession.”

He walked toward the board. Followed one thread to a photo of a warehouse. Another to a man already marked dead. Then another to a page tagged Alex. He said nothing, but I could feel the weight in his eyes.

He pointed to a map where several red pins were stuck in. “What are these?”

“Confirmed drop points for his dirty business. Guns, drugs. Some money laundering fronts too. Cafés. Bookstores. Even a printing press. As well as some big so-called investments firms.”

Marcus was quiet again. He looked overwhelmed. Like the scope of it was finally starting to sink in.

“You’ve been doing this alone?” Marcus asked.

“Had to,” I replied. “After my mentor died.”

Marcus turned. “You mean… Walter Forbes?”

I nodded. “He gave me the file before he vanished. Told me it was too big for him. Said if he disappeared, I should know exactly why.”

“What happened to him?” Marcus asked, already guessing the answer.

“Luca happened to him,” I said. “He disappeared two days after telling me he had new intel. No trace. No goodbye. Just… gone.”

Marcus looked back at the board. “You think Luca had him killed?”

“I know he did,” I said. “But no body. No clue. No confession. That’s what makes Luca De Rossi powerful. When people go missing around him, it never looks like a crime. It’s like they just vanished into the air.”

Marcus kept scanning. “That’s why the FBI’s interested?”

“They’ve been circling for years,” I said. “But he’s slippery. He has people on the inside. People who make sure the wrong files go missing. People who wipe entire trails clean.”

“You ever feel like you’re walking on a landmine?” Marcus asked.

I chuckled softly. “Every damn day.”

Marcus pointed to a group of photos. “All these his guys?”

“Most of them,” I said. “The core network. Some are dead. Some retired. Some… I don’t know.”

He looked at me. “So why keep doing this?”

I looked him in the eye. “Because I owe Walter. Because if I get Luca, half the men who hide behind his name go down too. And because if I don’t stop him… no one will.”

We stood in silence for a second.

Then Marcus asked, “And the girl’s story? The human trafficking thing?”

I sighed. “I’ll look into it. I’m not saying she’s lying. But it just doesn’t match what I know of Luca.”

“Well, if it’s true,” Marcus said, “it’s your shot.”

“I know,” I nodded. “But I’m starting somewhere else.”

“Where?”

“Gold,” I said. “I’m going to find out who this man is. And I think I know where to start.”