na

is stunned guards, took Gia by the wrist, and pulled

ith a definitive thud. I threw the deadbolts, the

the room, her breathing sha

g to do?" she stammered,

red the far wall. I pressed my palm flat against a seamlessly hidden panel

a thirty-two-digit alphanumeric code. The

y shadow books. For sixteen years, I had documented every dollar, every

e and dialed a heav

rived. For the past three hours, disguised as caterers and gift-bear

cked from the outside, the deadbolts sli

thal soldier, a ghost embedded within the Moretti guard for years, waiting. He

. They were Rossi accountants-the brilliant, ruthles

rs filed in after them, their assa

tirely. I stood tall, rolled my shoulders back to straighten my

nd. "Catalog everything. The Italian leather furniture, t

trated chaos unfold, h

lization dawned on her. The Morettis had never

the only thing keeping

ore. Rosa strutted into the room, fla

he demanded, her voice shrill wit

d lethal. I did not stop until I was i

llar against her collarbone. "That necklac

nsive step back. "Dante gav

ale stepped forward, the slide of

r, my tone deadpan, "or my man

stark against her skin, like paint on a wax figure. Her hands shook as she reached up,

ht. He glanced at me. "The matching diam

of her eyes. "You have one hour to produce

turned and sprinted out of the room,

maid appeared, trembling in the doorway

ands your presence in the

as exiled by her Capo," I said, flipping open a le

ting between the armed men. "Did

. "Omertà and patience have their

e open door. "Our next target is the West Wing," I declared, my voice

trable wall around me, while a fleet of armored Rossi trucks

ready written. The second was about to