Chapter 5 - The Leak
Six hours later, the hospital floor belonged entirely to the Duca syndicate. Armed guards secured every elevator, every stairwell, and every exit.
Marco stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass window of the ICU waiting area, staring out into the gray, rainy dawn. He had washed Lena’s blood from his hands, but he could still feel it on his skin.
Caruso approached, his arm in a fresh sling. "We secured your mother at the safehouse. She refuses to sleep until she gets word on the girl."
"What did you find from the wreckage?" Marco asked. His voice was no longer broken; it had hardened into something much worse. It was the voice of an executioner.
"The shooters were Solntsevskaya organization," Caruso replied grimly. "But they didn't act alone. They had our exact GPS coordinates. They knew which vehicle your mother was in, and they knew the exact timing of our departure."
Marco turned slowly. "Only four people knew that route, Caruso."
"I know, Boss."
"Find the leak," Marco commanded, his eyes cold as liquid nitrogen. "Check every phone, every wire transfer, every encrypted radio in my organization. Whoever sold us out didn't just target my mother—they put those bullets into Lena."
Before Caruso could answer, the doors to the ICU ICU swung open. The lead surgeon stepped out, his surgical mask hanging around his neck, his face exhausted.
Marco was in front of him in three strides. "Speak."
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"She survived the surgery, Mr. Duca," the doctor said, wiping his brow. "One round missed her heart by less than a millimeter. Another collapsed her left lung. We removed all four bullets, but she lost a massive amount of blood. The next twenty-four hours are critical. If she survives the night without crashing, she has a chance."
Marco closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, letting out a breath he felt he had been holding for centuries. "Take me to her."
