Chapter 4 - THE AUDITOR’S DAUGHTER|
I stood near the door, my heart hammering against my ribs, but the sight of Rocco tied to that chair awakened something dark and cold inside me that had been buried for nearly a decade.
I stepped closer, ignoring the guards watching my every move.
"His name is Rocco Vane," I said, staring straight into the eyes of the man who had ruined my life. "Eight years ago, my father, Hector Duarte, was the chief auditor for the New Jersey State Gaming Commission. He discovered a massive money-laundering network operating through the Marciano docks."
Enzo raised an eyebrow, setting his scotch glass down on the mahogany table. "Go on."
"My father was going to turn the files over to the federal prosecutor," I continued, my voice growing stronger with every word. "Rocco came to our home in Newark. He sat at our table. He told my father that if he kept quiet for forty-eight hours, the Marciano family would pay him two million dollars to walk away."
Rocco sneered, leaning his head back against the velvet cushion. "Your father was an idiot, little girl. He thought he was untouchable because he wore a government badge."
"My father refused the bribe," I said, my fists clenching at my sides. "He told Rocco that numbers don't lie, and neither would he. That night, three masked men broke into our house. They shot my father in his bed and burned his files."
"And how did you survive?" Enzo asked quietly.
"I was hiding inside the laundry chute behind the kitchen," I revealed, looking at Rocco with absolute hatred. "I saw Rocco’s face when he walked out of the house. I saw the scar on his eyebrow."
Rocco stopped smiling. His eyes narrowed as he stared at my face, finally recognizing the young girl he had left behind in the burning house eight years ago.
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"Hector Duarte’s daughter..." Rocco muttered under his breath. "You were supposed to be dead."
"She’s alive," Enzo said, stepping between us. "And now, she’s going to help me dismantle whoever sent you."
