Chapter 4 - Unraveling the Web
Luca tried to laugh, though it sounded like a wet cough. “You think killing me solves anything, Jonah? Mrs. Gable already has copies of the offshore account keys uploaded to an automated drop server. If I don't check in by sunrise, the federal authorities—and your biggest rival syndicates—get the entire blueprint of your financial empire.”
Jonah didn’t blink. He looked over his shoulder at me. “Stella. Check his burner phone.”
I knelt beside Luca, ignoring his groans, and slid the slim black smartphone out of his breast pocket. The screen was unlocked. I swiped open the messaging app, tapping on the most recent outgoing chat thread.
“Funny thing about automated drop servers, Luca,” I said, holding up the screen so he could see it clearly. “They require a live signal. And your little buddy Mrs. Gable was picked up by federal agents five minutes ago when she tried to sneak out the back gate with a suitcase full of bearer bonds.”
Luca’s eyes bulged. “That’s... that’s impossible.”
“Nothing is impossible when you have a chaotic nurse who doesn't sleep and knows how to trace an IP address through a home router,” I smiled sweetly, tossing the phone onto the desk.
Jonah raised his pistol, cocking the hammer with a sharp, echoing click. “You thought my paralysis made me weak, Luca. You thought you could hollow out my house from the inside out while I watched. But you forgot one simple rule of the underworld: never underestimate a man who has nothing left to lose—and never, ever hire a nurse who refuses to be intimidated.”
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Jonah didn’t shoot him. He didn’t have to. The heavy oak doors of the study burst open, and two of Jonah’s remaining loyal enforcers stepped in, zip-ties and duct tape ready.
“Take him down to the basement vault,” Jonah ordered flatly. “And make sure he’s comfortable. We have a lot of accounting to catch up on.”
