Chapter 6 - The Hidden Ledger
Vincent moved to the desk lamp, holding the wooden truck beneath the bright light.
With precise care, he slid the hidden bottom panel open completely. Tucked neatly inside the narrow hollow core was a small, ultra-thin micro-memory card wrapped in waterproof black tape.
Alina gasped quietly, covering her mouth with both hands. "Marco... he hid it inside her toy."
Vincent carefully extracted the micro-card, holding it between his large fingers. "He knew if anyone searched your apartment, they would never destroy a toddler's handmade toy."
Dominic entered the room silently through the open doorway, holding a secure encrypted laptop under his arm. "Guard perimeter is locked down, boss. No sign of movement outside."
"Dominic, bring that over here," Vincent commanded smoothly.
Dominic set the laptop on the desk and inserted the micro-card into the side reader. The screen flickered to life, requiring a high-level decryption code. Vincent stepped up, his fingers moving swiftly across the keyboard, entering old family access codes passed down by his father.
A series of encrypted financial logs, audio files, and scanned documents flooded the screen.
Dominic leaned in, his eyes widening beneath his dark brows. "Look at those transfer accounts... Julian wasn't just skimming from the harbor docks. He’s been funneling money directly to the Moretti family in Detroit for three years."
Vincent’s blue eyes turned to ice as he scrolled through the documents. "The Morettis have been trying to push into Chicago shipping for a decade. Julian promised them control of our northern routes in exchange for thirty percent of their offshore holdings."
"And Marco found out," Alina whispered, tears spilling over her lashes. "That’s why they burned the warehouse down."
"Yes," Vincent said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, dark octave. "Marco tried to bring this to my attention two years ago, but Julian found out first and set the fire to cover his tracks. And when I started auditing the old shipping logs last month, Julian knew his time was running out."
"So he tried to take you out today with the car bomb," Dominic concluded, his fist clenching tight. "And frame Frank Caruso with the planted cuff link so the Commission would blame an internal security failure instead of looking at blood."
Vincent slammed the laptop screen shut with a sharp crack. "Julian underestimated three things: Frank’s loyalty, Marco’s foresight..." He looked over at the sleeping little girl on the bed. "...and the sharp eyes of a child."
"What do we do now, boss?" Dominic asked, his hands resting on his belt. "We have enough here to execute Julian under Commission law tonight."
"No," Vincent replied coldly. "Execution in the dark lets his co-conspirators in Detroit slide back into the shadows. We wait for Sunday night's emergency meeting. When the entire Commission is gathered in our hall, we will lay out every single piece of evidence in front of Don Carmine."
"And until then?" Dominic asked.
"Until then, Julian thinks he’s winning," Vincent said, turning to look at Alina. "Alina, tomorrow morning, you and Mia are going to stay inside my private study. You don't open the door for anyone except me or Dominic."
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Alina looked up into Vincent's piercing blue eyes, feeling an extraordinary sense of safety beneath his intimidating presence. "I trust you, Mr. Marchetti."
Vincent offered her a quiet, reassuring nod. "Call me Vincent."
