Chapter 5 - The Gathering Storm
Days bled into weeks within the safety of the estate. Marcus surrounded his daughter with every comfort imaginable, yet he refused to let his guard down. He spent hours in his private study pouring over intelligence reports, coordinating security details, and tightening the ring of loyal men guarding the perimeter.
Dante walked into the study, placing a thick manila folder on the mahogany desk.
"The leaks are coming from inside the inner circle, boss," Dante reported grimly. "Salvatore's men are sniffing around Brooklyn. They found the old apartment. They know a woman with a child vanished the same night a tip was dropped about your movements."
Marcus’s jaw clenched. The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. "If they trace that child back to me, Salvatore won't live to see the sunset."
"They're closing in, Marcus," Dante warned. "Keeping them here is getting riskier by the day. We need to push our timeline up. Once we dismantle Salvatore's operation permanently, you can live openly. But until then... every second they are in this house is a target on their backs."
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Marcus stood up, walking over to the window that overlooked the immaculate courtyard below. Down on the grass, Grace and Ivy were blowing bubbles. Ivy's joyous laughter drifted up faintly through the double-paned glass, a sound of pure, unadulterated happiness.
"We don't have time to wait for a clean exit," Marcus said coldly, turning around. "We end this tonight."
