Chapter 54
The calm of the early morning shattered when Luca stormed into Marco’s office, his face pale and tight with anger. Marco, seated behind his desk with a pile of reports in front of him, looked up sharply.
“What happened?” Marco demanded, standing as Luca slammed a folder onto the desk.
“One of our safehouses,” Luca said, his voice clipped. “Bombed. Early this morning.”
Marco’s chest tightened as he opened the folder. Photos spilled out—charred remains of a building, the broken bodies of guards, and the unmistakable smudge of blood on the rubble.
Carmen appeared in the doorway, drawn by Luca’s raised voice. “What’s going on?”
Marco didn’t answer immediately. He picked up one of the photos, his jaw tightening as his eyes locked onto the symbol painted in blood. Arianna’s crest.
“She’s dead,” Marco said flatly, tossing the photo back onto the desk. “This has to be her loyalists.”
Luca nodded grimly. “It’s a message. They want you to know they’re still out there.”
“How many casualties?” Carmen asked, stepping into the room.
“Four guards,” Luca replied. “All dead. The safehouse was small, but they knew exactly where to hit. Clean, precise. This wasn’t random.”
Carmen exchanged a glance with Marco, her expression grim. “It means they’re organized. Someone’s giving them orders.”
“Someone inside,” Marco added darkly.
Carmen nodded, but her voice was measured. “It’s possible. But we need proof before we start making accusations.”
“I don’t need proof to clean house,” Marco snapped, his anger spilling over. “If someone betrayed me, I’ll make them regret it.”
“Reckless moves won’t help us,” Carmen countered, her tone sharp but calm. “We can’t afford to alienate our allies right now, Marco. We need to be smart about this.”
Marco glared at her, but her steady gaze didn’t waver. Finally, he exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. Then we find the traitor. Quietly.”
Later that afternoon, Carmen found herself in the lower levels of the estate, where Giovanni Russo was overseeing the transport of supplies to their remaining safehouses. Giovanni was one of Marco’s oldest lieutenants, known for his loyalty and efficiency. But lately, something about him had seemed… off.
She approached him casually, her heels clicking softly against the concrete floor. Giovanni looked up from his clipboard, offering a tight smile. “Mrs. Venetti. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I wanted to see how the supply runs are going,” Carmen said smoothly, her tone light. “It’s been a tense morning.”
Giovanni nodded, though his movements were stiff. “Everything’s on schedule. No delays.”
“That’s good to hear,” Carmen replied, her eyes flicking over the crates being loaded onto trucks. She let her gaze linger on Giovanni, studying him carefully. “You’ve been with Marco for a long time, haven’t you?”
“Since the beginning,” Giovanni said proudly. “I’ve been through every fight, every close call.”
“And you’ve always been loyal,” Carmen said, her tone casual but edged with something sharper.
Giovanni frowned slightly, his grip on the clipboard tightening. “Of course.”
Carmen offered a faint smile, though her eyes remained sharp. “It’s good to know Marco has men like you to rely on. In times like these, trust is everything.”
“Trust goes both ways,” Giovanni said, his tone careful.
Carmen nodded, her smile unwavering. “It does.”
She left him then, her heels clicking softly as she walked away. But as she ascended the stairs back to the main level, her mind churned with suspicion. Giovanni’s stiff posture, his evasive answers—something about him didn’t sit right.
***
In the privacy of her study, Carmen sifted through old files and reports, searching for anything that might connect Giovanni to Arianna’s loyalists. She cross-referenced supply routes, the names of guards who had died in the bombing, and past assignments Giovanni had overseen.
A knock at the door interrupted her, and she looked up to see Sofia entering with a cautious expression.
“I thought you’d want to see this,” Sofia said, placing a thin folder on the desk.
Carmen opened it, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the contents. It was a series of intercepted messages—coded communications that had been flagged by Luca’s men.
“What am I looking at?” Carmen asked, her voice low.
“One of the messages mentions a shipment leaving from the southern docks three weeks ago,” Sofia explained. “It was supposed to be delivered to one of our allies, but it never arrived.”
Carmen’s brow furrowed. “And?”
“The shipment was under Giovanni’s supervision,” Sofia said quietly.
Carmen’s lips pressed into a thin line as she closed the folder. “If Giovanni’s involved, we need proof. Concrete proof. If we accuse him without it, we’ll only cause more division.”
Sofia nodded. “What do you want to do?”
Carmen’s voice was calm, but there was steel beneath it. “Keep watching him. I’ll handle the rest.”
***
That evening, Carmen found Marco in his office, pacing near the window as the city lights glimmered in the distance.
“You’re wearing a hole in the floor,” Carmen said lightly, stepping inside.
Marco turned to her, his expression grim. “Luca’s men found nothing new. The survivors have gone underground, and whoever’s helping them is covering their tracks.”
Carmen hesitated before speaking. “I think I know where to start.”
Marco frowned. “What do you mean?”
She stepped closer, holding his gaze. “Giovanni. He’s been acting strangely since Arianna’s death. There are inconsistencies in his reports, and a shipment he oversaw three weeks ago went missing.”
Marco’s frown deepened, his hands clenching into fists. “You think he’s the leak?”
“I think it’s possible,” Carmen said carefully. “But we need proof before we act. If we go after him without it, we risk turning his allies against us.”
Marco’s jaw tightened, but he nodded. “Then we find proof. Quickly.”
Carmen reached out, her hand brushing against his arm. “We’ll get through this, Marco. But we have to be smart about it.”
Marco looked at her, his expression softening. “You’re right. As always.”
Carmen gave him a faint smile. “That’s why you married me.”
For the first time that day, Marco allowed himself a small smile. “That, and because you’re impossible to ignore.”
Despite the tension, Carmen laughed softly. “Good answer.”
As they stood together, the weight of the day pressing down on them, Carmen felt a flicker of hope. They weren’t out of danger yet, but together, they were stronger.
And together, they would uncover the truth.
