Chapter 7 - The King of Ash
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Six months without her had turned Damian Blackwood into a monster.
He had always been ruthless, but now he was a man devoid of mercy. He sat at the head of the syndicate table, a king ruling over an empire of ash. His father had praised his new, brutal efficiency, entirely unaware that Damian’s cruelty was born of a broken heart.
“The port shipments have been secured, boss,” Marco reported, standing nervously by Damian’s desk. “And the remaining debts from the Falcone family have been collected in full.”
“Good,” Damian said, not looking up from the financial ledgers in front of him. His gray eyes were hollow, ringed with dark circles of exhaustion.
“Damian,” Marco hesitated. “We need to talk about Silas.”
Damian finally looked up, his expression hardening. “What about my brother?”
“I was running the internal audits you asked for,” Marco explained, placing a red folder on the desk. “I found a discrepancy. Six months ago, right around the time Charlotte disappeared, Silas authorized a massive wire transfer from one of our shell companies to a private security firm. A firm that specializes in off-the-books tracking and elimination.”
Damian went completely still.
He opened the folder, his eyes scanning the highlighted bank transfers. Silas had paid half a million dollars to a group of untraceable mercenaries.
“Why would Silas hire trackers?” Damian whispered, the realization hitting him like a physical blow.
“I dug deeper,” Marco said grimly. “The tracking parameters were focused on bus routes leaving Port Authority on the exact night she vanished. Damian... I think Silas has been hunting her.”
The mahogany desk splintered as Damian slammed both fists down, launching himself out of his chair. The pure, unadulterated fury that erupted from him was terrifying.
“Where is the money going now?” Damian roared.
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“A steady stream of payments to a localized hub in upstate New York,” Marco replied quickly. “A town called Oak Creek.”
“Get the men,” Damian commanded, grabbing his gun from the desk drawer. “We are going to Oak Creek. And if Silas has touched a single hair on her head, I will kill him with my bare hands.”
