Chapter 11 - Shadows of the Syndicate
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Two weeks had passed since the night Hector Vance met his end in the foyer. The Caruso mansion had transformed from a gloomy fortress into a home filled with warmth and quiet laughter.
Yet, peace in Nicholas’s world was always short-lived.
In his basement office, lit only by desk lamps, Marco laid a heavy black binder on Nicholas’s desk.
“We decrypted Vance’s flash drives, boss,” Marco said grimly. “What we found isn't good.”
Nicholas leaned back, his eyes narrowing. “Go on.”
“Vance was small-time, but his backer wasn't,” Marco explained, opening the folder to reveal satellite photos of a secluded compound in upstate New York. “Vance was working for ‘The Collector’—Dominic Vane.”
Nicholas’s jaw tightened slightly at the name. Dominic Vane was an old-school syndicate kingpin who operated entirely from the shadows, controlling illegal auctions, human trafficking, and high-level extortion across three states.
“What does Vane have to do with Maria?” Nicholas asked.
“Maria’s late husband wasn't just an accountant for Vance,” Marco revealed. “He was double-crossing Vance to steal a master key from Dominic Vane’s private vaults. Before he died, he embedded the access codes into a digital file—and encrypted it inside a piece of jewelry.”
Nicholas stood up, his dark eyes flashing. “What jewelry?”
“A small silver locket,” Marco said softly. “The one Lucy wears around her neck every day.”
Upstairs in the sunny breakfast room, Maria was sitting at the table, helping Lucy color in a picture book. Around the toddler's neck hung a thin silver chain with a heart-shaped locket—the only object Maria had managed to save from her old life.
The door opened, and Nicholas walked into the room. His expression was calm, but Maria immediately sensed the subtle shift in his energy.
“Nicholas?” Maria asked, setting her pencil down. “Is something wrong?”
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Nicholas walked over, pulling up a chair next to them. He looked down at the tiny silver locket dangling from Lucy’s neck.
“Maria,” Nicholas said gently. “Where did you get that locket?”
