Chapter 5 - The Ledger and the Trap
The dawn broke over Baltimore in shades of slate gray and bruised purple.
By 8:00 a.m., the ground floor of Alessandro’s estate had been transformed into an armored command hub. Dozens of tactical operators in unmarked black gear were checking weapons, reviewing blueprints of the Romano Financial Tower in downtown Baltimore, and monitoring encrypted radio bands.
I stood by the window of the grand library, holding a warm cup of coffee I hadn't touched. Logan was sitting on a plush rug nearby, happily playing with a brand-new set of wooden trains Marco had brought him.
"He doesn't know you know," Alessandro said, stepping up behind me. He was fully dressed now in a dark, three-piece bespoke suit that completely concealed the heavy bandages underneath. He looked every bit the king of Baltimore’s underworld—imperious, invincible, and deadly.
"What is the plan?" I asked, keeping my back to him, staring out at the rain falling on the estate grounds.
"David will arrive at the Romano Tower at noon, accompanied by a rogue federal tactical team," Alessandro explained. "He believes my organization is paralyzed by my death. He plans to access the vault using the master biometric key—a key that requires two signatures. My digital key... and Logan’s DNA profile, which David secretly registered into the trust system when the boy was born."
I turned around to face him. "He’s going to use our son as a key?"
"The Swiss trust was set up with a dual-custody vault lock," Alessandro clarified. "David couldn't withdraw the funds alone. He needed the child’s physical presence—or a verified DNA sample—to release the three million dollars."
Anger—pure, fiery, uncompromising anger—began to replace the icy numbness that had gripped my chest all night.
For two years, I had blamed myself for David's death. I had cried myself to sleep wondering if I could have saved him if I had begged him not to drive that night. I had starved myself so my son could eat. I had scrubbed floors until my hands bled, believing I was honoring the memory of a good man who died too young.
He hadn't died. He had discarded us like trash.
"What do you need me to do?" I asked, my voice suddenly dropping into a steady, cold pitch that made Alessandro raise an eyebrow in quiet approval.
"I need you to be the grieving widow one last time," Alessandro said. "You will go to the Romano Tower. You will enter the lobby with Logan, pretending you are seeking financial assistance from my estate after hearing of my death. David will be watching the lobby cameras. When he sees you, his arrogance will blind him. He will step out to secure Logan's DNA sample himself."
"And then?"
Alessandro reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a small, sleek metallic cylinder no larger than a fountain pen, and placed it in my hand.
"This is a frequency jammer," Alessandro said. "The moment David approaches you, press the button on the cap. It will instantly scramble the rogue team's tactical radios and shut down the tower's electronic security grid, locking David inside the lobby with me."
I looked at the small metal cylinder in my palm, then looked up at the mob boss who had risen from the dead.
May you like
"Do you promise me Logan will not be hurt?" I demanded, locking my eyes with his.
"I will tear this city to the ground before I allow a single hair on your son's head to be harmed, Catherine," Alessandro swore, his voice carrying the absolute weight of a ironclad covenant. "You have my word as a Romano."
