Chapter 3 - The Cold Kitchen
The porcelain cup sat between them, a tiny white vessel filled with liquid death.
"Go on, Danny," Alessandro urged, his voice smooth as silk and twice as deadly. "Drink. Show the little girl her nose is playing tricks on her."
Danny looked at the cup. He looked at the junior maid, who was staring at him with wide, terrified eyes. Then he looked at the heavy-set security guards who had silently stepped into the kitchen entrance, their hands resting flat against their holsters.
With a choked, pathetic sob, Danny dropped the spatula. It clattered against the marble island, echoing like a gunshot. He threw himself to his knees, his hands clawing at the stone floor.
"I had no choice, Don Alessandro! Please!" Danny wept, his voice echoing off the copper pots. "They have my sister! They said they would send her back to me in pieces if I didn't put the drops in your first cup! I didn't want to do it! I swear to God!"
Alessandro didn't look angry. He looked disappointed, which was infinitely worse.
"Who is 'they', Danny?" Alessandro asked, handing the cup to one of his guards. "Because only three people in this city know my exact morning routine. Only three people knew I take my coffee before the guard rotation at 6:00 AM."
Danny swallowed hard, his face pale as death. "I... I don't know the man's name! He only spoke to me through an encrypted line! But... but he had the security bypass codes for the service gate. He knew the camera blind spots. He... he said the order came from inside your own council!"
Alessandro slowly turned his head toward the large window facing the east garden. The sun was rising, casting long, bloody red streaks across the sky.
A traitor in the inner circle.
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"Take him to the basement," Alessandro ordered his guards, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Find out who gave him the bypass codes. Do not let him sleep until he gives you a name."
As the guards dragged the screaming cook out of the kitchen, Alessandro knelt back down in front of Emma.
