Chapter 4 - The Puppet Master
The next morning, Marco brought the decrypted data from Elena’s burner phone to Alessandro's study.
"You were right, boss," Marco said, placing a tablet on the desk. "She’s being handled by a burner number operating out of a warehouse in the Navy Yard. They’ve been sending her instructions. Two days ago, she was told to place a GPS tracker near your favorite spot under the oak tree. Yesterday, she got a new order: she has to leave the side door of the west wing unlocked tonight at midnight."
Alessandro looked at the transcript of the messages. His eyes narrowed as he read the handler's words: “The inside man has already disabled the silent alarms for the west wing. Just leave the deadbolt open. Once Moretti is dead, your debt is wiped, and your daughter stays alive.”
"The inside man," Alessandro whispered. "It doesn't name him."
"No," Marco said. "But only three people have the codes to disable those specific silent alarms: you, me, and Carlo."
"It’s time to talk to Elena," Alessandro said, standing up. "Bring her to the basement. Quietly."
Ten minutes later, Elena was pushed into the reinforced concrete bunker beneath the wine cellar. She was terrified, her knees buckling as Marco forced her into a wooden chair beneath a single, harsh lightbulb.
Alessandro stood in the shadows, his face invisible to her.
"Please," Elena wept, her voice echoing off the concrete walls. "Please, I didn't want to do it! They have my daughter's father! They told me they would kill Mia if I didn't help them!"
Alessandro stepped into the light. "Your husband is dead, Elena. He died in Chicago two years ago. We verified that much."
Elena gasped, her eyes widening in horror. "No... no, they told me he was alive! They told me they staged his death to protect him from his debts, and that if I didn't do what they said, they would kill him and Mia!"
Alessandro sighed, a cold, pitying sound. "They lied to you, Elena. They used your grief and your love for your daughter to turn you into a weapon. The man handling you doesn't care about your family. The moment you unlock that door tonight, they will kill me, and then they will kill you and Mia to erase any witnesses."
Elena collapsed forward, her forehead touching the cold wooden table as she sobbed hysterically. "Oh God... what have I done? What do I do?"
Alessandro leaned down, his voice whispering in her ear like a cold wind. "You are going to do exactly what they told you to do. You are going to unlock that door at midnight."
"But... but they'll kill you!"
"No," Alessandro said, a dark, terrifying smile spreading across his face. "They are going to try. But tonight, the Moretti family is going to show New York why we still own these streets."
He turned to Marco. "Put Elena and Mia in the panic room on the third floor. Keep two of our best men with them. If anyone tries to get to that room, they die."
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"And what about Carlo?" Marco asked.
"Let him think the plan is going perfectly," Alessandro said. "If he’s the traitor, he’ll make his move when the hitmen arrive."
