Chapter 7 - The Brother in the Shadows
His name was Adrian Cross.
At least that was the name on the documents Rachel found.
Born in 1994.
Adopted through a private agency that closed after a fire destroyed its records.
Raised in New Jersey.
Military service.
Private security.
Then nothing for seven years.
No taxes.
No address.
No photographs.
Except the one Julian sent.
My brother.
Possibly.
Elena stared at the image for so long that the screen dimmed.
“He looks like Mom.”
“Yes.”
“And like you.”
“I know.”
“What if he’s helping them?”
Nico answered.
“Then we find out before trusting him.”
At 11:20 p.m., we approached Saint Maribel.
Not alone.
I had no intention of repeating Oak Ridge.
Rachel positioned a trusted tactical team three miles away.
Nico’s men moved through a maintenance tunnel beneath the private dock.
Victoria contacted Harbor Security using political credentials she still possessed.
And Elena stayed with me.
“You’re staying in the car,” I said.
“No.”
“Elena.”
“No.”
“Elena.”
She pointed at me.
“Say my name one more time like I’m twelve and I’ll drive the car into the lake.”
Nico coughed to hide laughter.
I gave up.
We boarded through the cargo deck.
The ship was quieter than expected.
Too quiet.
Containers towered above us.
Then speakers activated.
Matteo’s voice.
“Welcome, Dante.”
I stopped.
“Elena too. How touching.”
My sister looked upward.
“Come say it to my face.”
A laugh.
“You are definitely Lucia’s daughter.”
Lights came on.
At the far end of the deck stood Maya.
Alive.
Elena made a sound I had never heard from another human being.
“Maya.”
She ran.
I caught her before she crossed the open deck.
“Wait.”
Maya shook her head desperately.
“No! Elena, stop!”
A man stepped from behind a container.
Julian.
Then Marcus.
Then Adrian.
The stranger from the photograph.
My possible brother.
Marcus grinned.
“Family reunion.”
I ignored him.
My eyes stayed on Adrian.
“Cross?”
He looked at me.
“Moretti.”
His voice was calm.
No emotion.
“You know who I am?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Longer than you.”
I glanced at Maya.
“Let her go.”
Julian smiled.
“This isn’t negotiation.”
“What is it?”
“Succession.”
Matteo appeared above us on the upper deck.
Gray-haired.
Tall.
Older than my memories but unmistakable.
My father’s brother.
My mother’s former lover.
A ghost.
“Dante.”
I looked up.
“Matteo.”
He smiled.
“You’ve become exactly what Antonio wanted.”
“That sounds disappointing for you.”
“It is.”
He looked toward Adrian.
“My son.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
Not pride.
Anger.
Matteo continued.
“Lucia stole him from me.”
A door opened on the upper level.
Victoria Crane emerged between two guards.
Her hands were bound.
“You lied,” I said.
She looked ashamed.
“They found my son.”
Matteo placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Everyone has something they love.”
I stared at him.
“That’s your entire philosophy?”
“No.”
He smiled.
“It’s my insurance policy.”
Then everything changed.
Adrian moved.
Fast.
He struck Marcus, grabbed Maya, and pulled her behind a steel barrier.
Nico’s men surged from below deck.
Rachel’s team activated outside.
Elena ran toward Maya.
Gunfire cracked overhead.
I dropped behind cover.
Matteo shouted.
“ADRIAN!”
Adrian looked up.
“You should’ve stayed dead.”
Maya reached Elena.
They collided in the middle of chaos.
Elena wrapped both arms around her.
Maya buried her face in Elena’s shoulder.
I had spent my entire life seeing power expressed through fear.
But in that moment, two women clinging to each other as though the world could not separate them again looked stronger than every armed man on the ship.
Marcus fled toward the stern.
Julian disappeared below deck.
Matteo retreated upstairs.
I followed.
Adrian followed me.
For the first time, we stood side by side.
Brothers.
Maybe.
We reached the command room.
Empty.
A laptop remained open.
On-screen was a countdown.
04:59.
04:58.
04:57.
Adrian swore.
“What?”
“He’s wiping the network.”
“Can you stop it?”
“No.”
“Then where’s the server?”
“Not here.”
“Where?”
Adrian looked at me.
“Chicago.”
The countdown continued.
04:31.
“Location?”
He gave me an address.
I knew it.
Everyone in Chicago did.
Because the building storing Matteo’s entire criminal network was not some hidden warehouse.
It was one of the most secure buildings in the city.
City Hall.
May you like
And the person with direct access was Victoria Crane.
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