Chapter 8 - THE SHADOW IN THE CONVOY
Adrian’s mind pieced together the puzzle pieces with ruthless efficiency. Eight years ago, when the love of his life had vanished overnight without a trace, his inner circle had conducted an exhaustive search across three states. It was Mark who had handled the investigation. Mark who had brought back the burned-out car, the DNA reports, and the final, devastating conclusion that she had been killed by a rival syndicate during a territorial dispute.
Adrian had grieved for years. He had hardened his heart, buried his emotions, and turned the Moretti empire into an unassailable fortress of corporate and criminal power.
And yet, sitting right here on a cold downtown sidewalk, wearing the blue teardrop necklace Adrian had custom-ordered from a jeweler in Milan, was an eight-year-old child whose eyes were identical to his own.
She hadn't died in a fire eight years ago. She had been hidden away. And the men who guarded his back every single day were the ones keeping her in the shadows.
Adrian stood up completely, turning to face his convoy. He looked at the five men standing along the curb—men he had bled with, men he had paid millions of dollars to ensure absolute loyalty.
"Mark," Adrian said, walking slowly toward the middle SUV.
"Yes, boss?" Mark turned, adjusting his jacket.
"Who authorized the route through downtown this morning?" Adrian asked casually, sliding his hands into his suit jacket pockets as he reached the rear passenger door. "We usually take the express route along the lake."
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Mark didn't flinch. "Traffic on the outer drive was backed up due to construction, Adrian. I rerouted us through the financial district twenty minutes ago."
Twenty minutes ago, Adrian thought. Just enough time for someone to know we would pass this exact intersection.
