Chapter 7 - Shadows on the Perimeter
While warmth and safety finally settled over the third-floor suite, the outer perimeter of the Duca estate told a very different story.
Deep in the shadows of the sprawling oak trees near the eastern gate, two figures stood cloaked in dark raincoats, watching the illuminated windows of the manor through high-powered binoculars.
"He broke Maroni's collarbone," a low, gravelly voice muttered in Italian. "Inside his own office. In front of Silvio."
The second figure—taller, leaner, with a cigarette glowing faintly in the dark—let out a cold, low chuckle.
"Let him purge the house," the second man replied smoothly, blowing a ring of smoke into the damp night air. "A king who turns on his own guard dogs is a king who stands alone. Lorenzo thinks he can play hero to a maid's brat while the Sicilian council is dividing his shipping routes in Palermo."
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"What are our orders?"
"Keep watching the girl," the second man murmured, his eyes narrowing as he stared up at the lit window of the third-floor suite where Maya was finishing her hot chocolate. "If Lorenzo cares that much about a servant's child... then we’ve finally found the chink in the invincible Duca armor."
