1.The Maid’s Little Girl Said Her Mommy Had Been Missing for Three Days, and the Mafia Boss Found a Betrayal Buried Beneath His Own Home

Port Newark at 11:00 PM was a maze of rusted metal, fog, and the eerie moans of foghorns echoing off the Atlantic Ocean. Giant shipping containers were stacked four stories high, creating dark, narrow canyons illuminated only by flickering halogen streetlamps.

Pier 42 was an isolated terminal near the edge of the bay.

Dominic stood on the roof of an adjacent warehouse, looking through high-powered night-vision binoculars.

The dock was heavily guarded. At least twenty-five Moretti enforcers armed with automatic weapons patrolled the perimeter. In the center of the yard sat a massive, reinforced steel shipping container fitted with air vents, heavy security locks, and external power generators.

"That's the compound," Marcus whispered beside him, adjusting his sniper rifle. "Thermal optics show three heat signatures inside that central container. Two small... one adult female and one child. Plus four guards inside with them."

Dominic’s heart thunted against his ribs. They're alive.

"Where is Victor Moretti?" Dominic asked.

Marcus swung his scope toward a two-story office building overlooking the pier. "Second floor window. Sitting at a desk, drinking whiskey. He's got six personal bodyguards with him."

Dominic pulled up his sleeve, checking his watch. "In five minutes, the tide turns. The fog will roll in thick off the bay. That's when we hit them."

"Boss," Daniel whispered, approaching from the roof access door. "We tapped into Victor’s internal comms. He just gave an order."

Dominic turned sharply. "What order?"

Daniel’s face was grim. "He told his men inside the container to execution-style the prisoners at midnight... if you don't show up alone."

Dominic looked at his watch. It was 11:52 PM. Eight minutes.

"He wants a confrontation," Dominic said, his eyes hardening into flint. "He thinks he's baiting a trap."

"Boss, you can't go in there alone," Marcus protested. "It's a meat grinder!"

"I'm not going in there to negotiate, Marcus," Dominic said, pulling two extra magazines from his tactical pouch and slapping them into his vest. "I'm going in there to burn his empire to the ground. You and Daniel take the snipers. When I draw their fire, you breach the central container and secure Mia and Harper."

"And you?" Daniel asked.