Chapter 16 - The Rosemont Sting
The underground casino was located in the basement of an abandoned meatpacking plant in Rosemont. It was a relic of the old Chicago—dark, smoky, and filled with men who carried guns under their expensive coats.
Jessica sat in the passenger seat of an unmarked SUV parked two blocks away. She wore a simple earpiece, listening to the feed from a hidden camera Marco had planted on one of their undercover security guards who had successfully infiltrated the venue.
Giovanni was currently at a press conference, publicly defending his company against the federal allegations. He had no idea his wife was currently orchestrating a high-stakes sting operation.
"We have visual," Marco whispered from the driver's seat, typing rapidly on a laptop. The screen showed a grainy feed of a private VIP room.
There sat Matteo Fierro—an older, haggard-looking man with cold grey eyes and a cruel mouth. Opposite him were two men in suits, recognized as high-ranking customs officials from the Miami port.
"Did the shipment go through as planned?" Matteo's voice came through the audio feed, raspy and distorted.
"The feds found the contraband exactly where you said it would be," one of the customs officials replied. "Fierro Global’s reputation is in the toilet. But we need the rest of the payment, Matteo. Giovanni’s lawyers are digging deep. If they find the paper trail—"
"They won't find anything," Matteo sneered. "By the time they realize what happened, Giovanni will be behind bars, and I will have reclaimed the throne. The board of directors is already talking about bringing me back to stabilize the company. Just keep the feds focused on Giovanni's personal accounts."
"We got it," Marco whispered, a triumphant smile breaking across his face. "This is it. Direct confession of framing and bribery of federal officials."
"Download it, secure it, and send it to the FBI liaison immediately," Jessica ordered, her heart hammering against her ribs. "We have them."
Suddenly, the video feed flickered.
On the screen, the door to the VIP room burst open. Two men dragged a third man into the room. Jessica’s breath caught in her throat.
It was Tyler. He was beaten, bruised, and trembling violently.
"Matteo, please!" Tyler cried out, his voice cracked with terror. "I did what you asked! I went to the estate, I filed the custody papers! But Giovanni has recordings! He knows!"
Matteo stood up slowly, walking over to Tyler with a look of utter disgust. "You pathetic piece of garbage. You couldn't even handle a simple custody extraction. You let a woman and a reformed thug intimidate you?"
"They threatened me with the FBI!" Tyler wept, collapsing to his knees. "Please, just give me the money you promised. I need to get Vanessa and the baby out of the city. I want out!"
Matteo drew a silver pistol from his waistband, pointing it directly at Tyler's head. "You don't get to walk away, Tyler. You are a liability."
Jessica gasped, grabbing Marco's arm. "Marco, we have to do something! He’s going to kill him!"
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Dismayed by Tyler's past actions as she was, Jessica could not watch her daughter's biological father be executed in cold blood. More importantly, if Tyler died there, Matteo would erase all connection to the conspiracy.
"I’m calling it in," Marco said, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "We have tactical teams nearby. Move! Move!"
