Chapter 1 - The Warning Whisper
The two massive guards grabbed Salvatore by the collar of his expensive suit.
They dragged him across the freshly cleaned Persian rug.
Emily stood perfectly still and held the signed depreciation forms tightly against her chest.
She did not flinch as the capo begged for his life.
Dante Marino watched her from the center of the room.
The terrifying void in his eyes was completely gone.
He looked alive for the first time in nine years.
He walked slowly around the edge of his reclaimed walnut desk.
His dark eyes analyzed Emily with a predatory curiosity that made her spine tingle.
"You are completely fearless, Emily," Dante said quietly.
"I am completely exhausted, Mr. Marino," she corrected him.
Dante let out another soft, breathy chuckle that sent a shiver through the room.
"Cancel the rest of my afternoon meetings," Dante ordered.
"Are we having a crisis?" she asked.
"No, we are promoting you," he replied.
Emily blinked in genuine surprise.
"I do not want a promotion if it involves hiding bodies," she stated firmly.
"It involves full access to the master ledgers," Dante said.
He leaned slightly closer so only she could hear him.
"Someone inside this building helped Sal steal that money, and I need you to find them."
Before Emily could answer, a loud crash echoed near the doorway.
Salvatore had managed to hook his foot around the doorframe.
The guards yanked him violently backward.
As he was dragged past Emily, Salvatore lunged forward and grabbed her wrist.
His grip was desperate and painfully tight.
"It was not my idea," Salvatore hissed frantically into her ear.
"Let go of my secretary," Dante commanded in a lethal tone.
"The ghost is back," Salvatore cried out, staring wildly at Emily.
"Tell him his dead wife is not in the ground!"
One of the guards struck Salvatore across the jaw with the butt of a pistol.
The capo collapsed instantly and was dragged out into the hallway.
The heavy oak doors clicked shut.
Emily rubbed her bruised wrist and stared at the empty space.
"What did he mean about your wife?" Emily asked cautiously.
Dante's face instantly turned back into a mask of freezing stone.
"He was lying to save his own life," Dante answered flatly.
He turned his back to her and stared out the window at the Chicago skyline.
"Do not ever mention her name in this office again, Emily."
Emily nodded silently and turned to leave.
She walked back to her desk and opened her encrypted email to file the depreciation forms.
There was a new, unread message in her personal inbox.
The subject line was a single word.
It read "Evanston."
Emily felt the blood drain completely from her face.
Evanston was the exact location of the private psychiatric facility holding her younger brother.
She clicked on the email with a trembling hand.
May you like
It contained a high-resolution photograph of her brother sitting on a park bench.
A red sniper laser was pointed directly at the center of his forehead.
