Chapter 3 - The Traitor in the Ranks
The air inside the Foundry was cool and damp, smelling of old concrete and machinery.
While Dante was busy coordinating with his remaining loyal captains, Evelyn sat at a metal desk, her laptop open, her fingers flying across the keyboard. She was running a deep-dive forensic audit of the travel log databases, trying to trace the exact moment the leak had occurred.
"It wasn't Marcus," she murmured, her eyes wide as she looked at a hidden string of metadata.
Dante, who had been cleaning his pistol at the far end of the room, paused. "Explain."
"The transaction key used to access the travel logs was indeed Marcus's," Evelyn said, turning the screen toward him. "But the IP address used to log into his account didn't come from his device. It came from a secure terminal inside the Bellini estate in Long Island. Specifically, from the private study of your cousin, Victor."
Dante’s face went completely still. The silence in the room was deafening.
Victor Bellini was the family’s underboss, a man who had always resented Dante’s rise to power. He was older, traditional, and believed that Dante's reliance on "legitimate" business and modern accounting was a sign of weakness.
"Victor," Dante whispered, his voice a low, lethal purr. "He’s been playing the long game."
"He didn't just leak my flight details, Dante," Evelyn continued, her voice trembling as she uncovered more data. "He’s been funneling small amounts of cash to the Valetti family for months. He’s funding their mercenary crew. In exchange, they promised him the chairmanship of the Bellini syndicate once you were out of the picture."
"And Marcus?" Dante asked.
"Marcus found out about Victor's plan. That's why he was trying to warn you over the intercom before the blast. He wasn't the traitor. He was trying to protect me."
Dante stood up, his towering figure casting a long, dark shadow across the concrete wall. He walked over to the weapon rack, pulling down a heavy tactical vest and strapping it over his black shirt.
"Dominic," Dante called out.
The driver stepped forward. "Yes, Boss?"
"We are going to Long Island. Prepare the team."
"No, Dante, wait!" Evelyn stood up, running to him and grabbing his arm. "It’s a trap! If Victor knows you’re coming, he’ll have the Valetti mercenaries waiting at the estate. You can't just walk into a warzone!"
"I am the head of this family, Evelyn," Dante said, looking down at her, his expression hard as stone. "If my own blood betrays me, I do not wait for a court. I do not file a lawsuit. I end it."
"Then let me go with you," she pleaded.
Dante’s hand clamped around her wrist, his grip firm. "No. You stay here, where it’s safe."
"Safe?" Evelyn laughed, a bitter, breathless sound. "Nowhere is safe if you die tonight, Dante! If Victor takes control, he’ll find this bunker within hours. He has the administrative keys. The only way I survive is if you survive. Let me help you."
"How can you help me in a gunfight, Evelyn?"
"I can disable Victor's security system remotely," she said, pointing to her laptop. "His estate uses the same security protocol I installed for the corporate offices. I can shut down his cameras, lock his panic rooms, and cut his communications from here. I can give you a clear path to him."
Dante looked at her, seeing the fierce, unwavering determination in her eyes. She was no longer the frightened accountant who wanted to run to Portland. She was a woman fighting for her life, and for his.
Slowly, Dante nodded. "You have twenty minutes to breach his system. Once we arrive at the gates, I want every camera dark."
"Consider it done," Evelyn said, sitting back down at the keyboard.
As Dante and his strike team departed into the rainy night, Evelyn began her digital assault on the Bellini estate. Her heart hammered, her fingers moving with a precision that was almost mechanical. She knew that a single mistake, a single missed keystroke, could cost Dante his life.
She bypassed the outer firewalls, her eyes scanning the lines of code.
ACCESS DENIED
Evelyn cursed under her breath. Victor had changed the master passwords. She had only five minutes before Dante’s team reached the outer perimeter.
"Think, Evelyn, think," she whispered to herself.
She remembered a private conversation she had with Victor two years ago at a family dinner. He had bragged about his first car, a vintage 1969 Mustang, which he kept in the estate’s private garage. It was his pride and joy.
She typed in the vehicle's registration number, combined with his mother's maiden name.
ACCESS GRANTED
A victorious smile touched her lips as the live security feeds of the Long Island estate flooded her screen. She saw the guards pacing the perimeter, heavy weapons in hand. She saw the Valetti SUVs parked in the driveway.
"Dante," Evelyn spoke into her headset. "I’m in. Cutting the power to the security grid in three... two... one."
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On her screen, the cameras went black. The estate was thrown into total, helpless darkness.
"Go," she whispered.
