Mag-log inDentonThe line clicked once. Secure. Encrypted. Silent for half a beat too long.“Identify,” the voice on the other end said—calm, clipped, authoritative.“Seven-Six,” I replied. “Double zero clearance. Confirm.”A pause. Then: “Confirmed. This is Control—Zero-One.”I exhaled slowly, tension held tight beneath discipline. “I assume you received my request.”“We did. And we’ve acted on it.”“Status.”“Assets have been deployed. Surveillance grids nullified across all known locations..” A faint shuffle of papers. “The girl remains unaccounted for—but we’re closing the net.”“How close?”“Days,” Zero-One said without hesitation. “Everything else is ready. We’re confident she’ll be secured within the next few days.”My jaw tightened. “She needs to be found, too many eyes on this”“We’re aware of the stakes, Seven-Six. You wouldn’t have come to us otherwise.”A brief silence settled between us—mutual understanding, unspoken.“Now,” Zero-One continued, tone shifting slightly, “regarding yo
Remi They had to sedate me. That’s how bad it got.After the dream, after *feeling* her—my readings spiked and refused to come down. Monitors screaming, doctors barking orders. After I flatlined andbthey revived me...the worst was still not over...Then came the call, the Doctors and nurses screaming at my Security. My stats spiking dangerously again. They were forced to sedate me but stood guard like I was about to bolt out of the damn hospital.Now I was lying on my stomach, jaw clenched, while two doctors hovered over me—pressing, checking, muttering under their breath as they examined the bruising across my back and thighs.Bruising that hadn’t been there before. Bruising no one here could explain. A medical mystery they called it. I knew exactly where it came from. I just didn’t say a word.The door opened. I barely turned my head, but I caught Aaron stepping in—with a woman I didn’t recognize. Older. Composed. Not hospital staff.“Remi,” Aaron said carefully, “your Aunt Maria i
AdrianoThe drive to Boston was quiet at first.Zia was like that. She didn’t fill silence just for the sake of it—she *read* it. Knew when words would help… and when they’d just get in the way.Right now… silence was needed.Then—out of nowhere—she reached for the music console. A few clicks. And suddenly—*Celine Dion.*I barked out a laugh before I could stop myself. “Seriously, Zia?”She didn’t even look at me, just adjusted the volume slightly, completely unbothered. “Music for the soul,” she murmured.I shook my head, still smiling despite everything. “You would have loved her,” I said after a moment, my voice softer now. “Arianna. She would fight me for the music every single time.”The smile faded, replaced by something heavier. “But not with Denton,” I added quietly. “Those two… they had their own thing. He’d play something and they’d just—” I exhaled. “Like some silent conversation in the rearview mirror.”I swallowed hard. “In five years… I’ve never seen that man smile as mu
AdrianoLunch had come and gone in a blur. Too quiet. Too controlled. Like everyone was holding themselves together by sheer will.I passed the information Liam had given us to my government contact—kept it brief, precise. Now it was a waiting game.And I hated waiting.By the time I got to the study at 2pm, my father, Zio, and Zia were already there. Seated. Composed. Watching. It was odd to see my Zia there, but her presence was grounding. I took my seat, ignoring the pull of bruised muscle and the deeper ache sitting in my chest. The door opened behind me.Luca and Liam walked in together. Still strange to see. Still wrong in every way. But I kept that to myself.“I believe there has been some progress since earlier,” my father said. “Report.”Luca went first. “Mason has narrowed it down to five possible vehicles,” he said. “We caught a break with the dashcam—he’s analysing it now to eliminate the other four.”A nod from the seniors. “What else?” my father prompted.Liam stepped i
LiamMaria had just finished patching me up.The sting of antiseptic still lingered, sharp against skin already raw, but it was nothing compared to the tension sitting heavy in the room.No one spoke. Not me. Not Luca. Not Adriano. We were all thinking the same thing. *Time.*My phone rang. The sound cut through the silence like a blade. Lowis. I didn’t bother with greetings. “Tell me you got something.”The shift in the room was immediate. Every eye on me. Watching. Waiting.I listened. Heart rate kicking up with every word he spoke. Each second stretching tighter than the last. “Yeah…” I said slowly, pacing a step away. “Okay… and you think they’re connected?”I glanced at the others. They were practically holding their breath. “Right… stay on it,” I said, voice firming. “See what else you can get—time’s against us.” A pause. “Thanks, Lowis. Good work.”I had barely ended the call. “And…?” Luca prompted immediately. He was already leaning forward, tension vibrating through him.Even
We got lucky. The vehicle Adriano had used was from the security fleet so it was equipped with a dashcam. I uploaded the coverage in the server room and sent it to Mason, dialling him as I pressed send. Liam was pacing like a caged tiger while I waited for Mason to answer, phone pressed tight to my ear. “Mace… yeah, just sent it… yeah, lucky break he took that one…” I paused, listening, my jaw tightening in response to what he had to say. “Okay… if you’ve got the room footage too, we’ll wait to hear from you.” Another pause. “Yeah… I understand. Thanks, Mace… for everything.” The call ended, but the tension didn’t. Liam leaned against the doorframe. “Anything new?” My shoulders sagged, wishing I could give him better news. “Seventeen cars leaving the Bronx. He’s narrowed it down to five. But running plates, digging into each one… it’ll take too long. If that dashcam doesn’t give us something—anything—we’re blind.” We looked at each other. That was too long. Arianna didn’t have
Luca Dinner felt… wrong. Not because of the food—my mother had outdone herself like always—but because of everything sitting beneath the surface. Too much had happened. Too close. Too fast. Zia Yvette was back. Alive. Injured, but alive. That alone should have been enough to lift the weight in
Liam M father had called out to me, but I hadn’t stopped. I just wanted to get away. To process my pain and heartbreak elsewhere in private. As I got to the top of the stairs, his hand grabbed my shirt, trying to stay my escape. I was too enraged, throat locked and tears burning my eyes. I just w
Chapter 78 – My Father’s Eldest Son Part 1 Liam The drive home should have felt like victory. Hell, by every measure—it was. I had outmanouvered the Morettis. Secured port access that would expand my operations beyond anything I’d built through the docks and my Florida Keys outlets. Power. Reach
Adriano Zio Luigi’s call came just after the exchange. I stepped away from the noise, my pulse still hammering from everything that had just gone down, and answered on the first ring. “All is a go,” he said, his voice steady, controlled. “We have Yvette. No incidents. We’re on our way back.” Fo







