Chapter 8 - THE DETAIL ON THE UNIFORM
Elias Baron stood completely speechless.
The realization that his private attempt to honor his savior had been intercepted, stolen, or fabricated filled him with a cold, terrifying fury. Someone in his own organization—someone high enough to intercept syndicate trust payouts—had stolen Daniel Hayes' blood money and left his surviving siblings to rot in a Chelsea walk-up.
Elias turned back to the silver frame in his hand.
He brought the photograph closer to his eyes, his sharp gaze focusing on Daniel’s military uniform, intending to memorize every detail of the man who had given everything for him.
As he looked closer at the high-contrast lighting of the photo, his dark eyes narrowed.
He brought the frame within four inches of his face.
On the left shoulder sleeve of Daniel’s military fatigues, stitched neatly above the unit patch, was a specific, highly distinct unit crest—a silver dagger entwined with an olive branch, set against a dark blue background. Beneath the crest were three small, embroidered numbers: 714.
Elias’ entire posture locked up.
The color, which had partially returned to his face, drained away entirely, leaving him looking ghastly white under the dim apartment bulb.
His thumb, which had been gently tracing the glass, froze dead over the image.
For the first time since he had stepped through the damaged doorway of Door 4B, the feared crime boss of Chicago looked genuinely, deeply disturbed—not by grief, not by guilt, but by a sudden, terrifying realization that shattered his entire understanding of the night Daniel Hayes had died.
Adeline noticed the radical shift in his demeanor instantly. She wiped the tears from her face, taking a step closer to him, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"What?" Adeline asked, her voice tight. "What is it?"
Elias did not answer her immediately.
He kept his eyes locked onto those three embroidered numbers—714—his pupils dilating, his jaw working as his mind replayed the events of that fateful night three years ago.
The unit crest did not belong to a standard Army infantry division. It belonged to an elite, highly classified internal intelligence unit—a specialized task force that operated exclusively within the borders of the United States, targeting high-level organized crime networks.
Unit 714 was the exact federal task force that had been building a Rico case against the Baron syndicate three years ago.
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Daniel Hayes had not been an independent tactical specialist hired by an agency.
Daniel Hayes had been an undercover federal operative.
