Chapter 3 - The Shadow Target
By nightfall, Dante had cracked the frequency of the silver transmitter. He stood in Matteo’s soundproof basement, projecting a web of digital traces onto a screen.
"It routes through three dummy servers," Dante explained, tapping the screen. "But the final destination is a warehouse on the docks controlled by the Moretti family."
Matteo’s blood boiled. The Morettis. A rival syndicate that had been trying to usurp the Rossi throne for a decade. They were brutal, honorless, and desperate. But why would Camilla help them?
"Look deeper into Camilla’s background," Matteo ordered. "Something isn't adding up. She has no ties to the Morettis. They must have leverage."
Two hours later, Dante returned with a manila folder. He tossed it onto the steel table. "You're not going to like this, Matteo."
Matteo opened the file. Inside were surveillance photos of a young man, barely his early twenties, being dragged into an unmarked van. He had Camilla’s eyes.
"Her younger brother, Julian," Dante said grimly. "He was attending college in Boston. Disappeared off the grid two weeks ago. The police have nothing, but our street contacts say the Morettis snatched him."
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Matteo felt a sudden, sharp ache in his chest. Please don't hurt him. She wasn't betraying him for money or power. She was fighting for her brother’s life. The weeping Leo had witnessed was the sheer agony of a sister forced to choose between the man she loved and the family she had left.
Matteo closed the folder, a dark, dangerous resolve settling over him. He wasn't going to punish his bride. He was going to turn her into his deadliest weapon.
