Chapter 9 - The Baby in the Decoy Car
At 11:42 p.m., three black vehicles crossed the river toward the abandoned freight terminal.
Enzo Moretti believed Leo Romano was inside the second car.
He was not.
Leo was twenty miles away under the protection of Sofia, Rosa, and twelve security officers.
Inside the second vehicle sat a realistic infant training doll wrapped in Leo’s blanket.
Marco had objected.
Federica had called it “accounting.”
Marco had said, “That is not accounting.”
Federica had replied, “We are presenting a false asset.”
Marco had stopped arguing.
Gabriele sat beside Federica in the first SUV.
“You stay in the car.”
“No.”
“We discussed this.”
“You discussed it.”
“You nodded.”
“I was drinking water.”
“That counts.”
“No court would agree.”
“We don’t use courts for this.”
“That may be the most mafia sentence you’ve ever said.”
Gabriele looked at her.
Despite the situation, a faint smile appeared.
Then vanished.
“Federica.”
“I need to see Enzo’s system.”
“You need to stay alive.”
“So do you.”
“That is different.”
“Stop saying that.”
The vehicle slowed.
Freight containers rose around them.
Rain covered the windshield.
Gabriele looked at her in the blue dashboard light.
“What happened to your parents?”
Federica blinked.
“What?”
“You said Rosa is your only family.”
“This seems like an unusual moment.”
“We may not have another.”
She stared at him.
“You really need to improve your motivational speeches.”
He waited.
Federica looked through the window.
“My father died when I was seventeen. Heart attack.”
“I’m sorry.”
“My mother died three years later.”
Gabriele’s expression softened.
“Cancer?”
“Car accident.”
He looked at her.
She shrugged slightly.
“After that, Rosa became everything.”
“And work?”
“Work was predictable.”
“Numbers.”
“They stay where you put them.”
“Unlike people.”
“Yes.”
He was silent.
Federica glanced at him.
“What about you?”
“You know my family history better than I do now.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
He looked toward the terminal.
“My father taught us weakness invites danger.”
“And your mother?”
“She taught us love creates obligations.”
“That sounds cheerful.”
“Italian household.”
She smiled.
Then Gabriele said quietly, “Matteo disagreed with both.”
“What did he believe?”
“That loving someone is worth becoming vulnerable.”
Federica’s smile faded.
“Did you agree?”
“No.”
“Past tense?”
He looked at her.
Before he could answer, Marco’s voice came through the radio.
“Movement.”
The vehicles stopped.
Armed men appeared on catwalks.
Federica counted.
Eight.
Maybe more.
A floodlight came on.
Enzo Moretti stepped from the terminal.
Seventy.
Tall.
Gray beard.
Elegant black coat.
He looked like somebody’s distinguished grandfather.
Federica hated that.
Beside him knelt Alessandro.
Alive.
Hargrove beside him.
Gabriele opened his door.
Federica followed.
He turned.
“I said stay.”
“Yes.”
“Why do I bother?”
“I’ve wondered.”
Enzo smiled when they approached.
“Gabrielino.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“You used to like it.”
“I used to be nine.”
Enzo looked at Federica.
“The accountant.”
“Apparently.”
“You cause enormous trouble.”
“So I hear.”
“Ledger.”
Federica held up a flash drive.
“Alessandro first.”
Enzo laughed.
“You negotiate?”
“I audit.”
“Same thing?”
“Usually with fewer weapons.”
Enzo signaled.
One guard lifted Alessandro.
Another Hargrove.
“Baby.”
Gabriele gestured toward the second SUV.
A guard opened the rear door.
The wrapped doll was barely visible.
Enzo smiled.
“My apologies, Matteo.”
Gabriele’s entire body tensed.
Federica touched his hand.
Once.
A reminder.
Not yet.
Enzo looked at the drive.
“Bring it.”
Federica walked forward.
Gabriele followed.
“No,” Enzo said. “Her alone.”
Gabriele stopped.
Federica continued.
Ten feet.
Five.
She held out the drive.
Enzo reached.
Federica pulled it back.
“Password first.”
“For what?”
“The files are encrypted.”
Enzo frowned.
“You think I’m stupid?”
“No.”
She smiled.
“I think you’re old-fashioned.”
His eyes narrowed.
Federica continued.
“The drive authenticates through my laptop. I need your Gray access key to decrypt it.”
Enzo looked toward a guard.
He brought a laptop.
Enzo typed a code.
Federica watched.
Exactly what she needed.
Gray network credentials.
She plugged in the drive.
A fake loading screen appeared.
Behind it, her script copied access certificates.
Ten percent.
Twenty.
Enzo looked impatient.
“What’s taking so long?”
“Twenty years of murder records have poor compression.”
His eyes became cold.
“You remind me of Matteo.”
“I never met him.”
“He would have liked you.”
Gabriele heard.
Something moved across his face.
Fifty percent.
Federica glanced toward Alessandro.
He was watching her.
Then toward the SUV.
A guard was approaching the bundle.
Too close.
If he touched it—
Seventy.
The guard reached inside.
Federica’s pulse jumped.
Eighty.
He lifted the blanket.
Silence.
Then:
“It’s fake!”
Enzo turned.
Gabriele moved.
Everything happened at once.
Marco’s teams emerged from concealed positions.
Lights went out.
Shots cracked overhead.
Federica grabbed the laptop.
Enzo seized her arm.
Gabriele saw.
“Federica!”
Enzo dragged her backward.
A weapon pressed against her ribs.
“Stop!”
Gabriele froze.
Every Romano guard stopped.
Enzo smiled.
“You inherited your father’s weakness.”
Gabriele’s eyes fixed on Federica.
“What weakness?”
“Attachment.”
Federica watched him.
Enzo whispered near her ear.
“He would burn Chicago for you now.”
Gabriele’s voice was terrifyingly calm.
“Let her go.”
“And lose my only advantage?”
“You don’t have one.”
Enzo laughed.
“I have her.”
Federica looked at the laptop.
Copy complete.
Good.
Then she noticed something near Enzo’s shoe.
A puddle.
Electrical cable.
Damaged insulation.
Rainwater.
She looked at Gabriele.
He saw her eyes move.
Understood nothing.
Not yet.
Enzo ordered, “Drop your weapons.”
Gabriele did.
Marco reluctantly followed.
Federica slowly loosened her grip on the laptop.
Enzo noticed.
“Hold that.”
“Of course.”
Then she dropped it.
Hard.
The metal corner struck the damaged cable.
Sparks erupted.
Enzo flinched.
Federica drove her elbow backward.
His weapon shifted.
Gabriele crossed the distance instantly.
He hit Enzo.
Federica fell away.
Marco rushed forward.
Within seconds, Enzo was on the ground.
Alessandro was freed.
Hargrove collapsed in relief.
Gabriele reached Federica.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He checked anyway.
Face.
Arms.
Shoulders.
“Gabriele.”
“What?”
“I’m fine.”
He suddenly pulled her against him.
Federica froze.
Then held him.
Hard.
For several seconds, the freight terminal disappeared.
No Sterling.
No Gray.
No guns.
Just rain.
His arms.
Her heartbeat.
Then Marco said, “I hate interrupting this.”
Gabriele did not release her.
“What?”
“The laptop.”
Federica looked.
It had survived.
Barely.
She picked it up.
Gray credentials had opened the entire network.
Payments.
Names.
Accounts.
Blackmail records.
Politicians.
Police.
Executives.
Doctors.
And one scheduled operation.
Federica opened the newest file.
Her face changed.
“What?”
She turned the screen toward Gabriele.
Target:
SOFIA ROMANO.
Location:
ROMANO ESTATE.
Time:
MIDNIGHT.
Gabriele looked at his watch.
11:58.
His mother.
Rosa.
Leo.
All at the estate.
Federica stopped breathing.
The terminal had never been the real attack.
It was another distraction.
May you like
And they had exactly two minutes before Enzo’s last team reached the baby.
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