Chapter 1 - The Sound of Broken Ice
Dante Marino laughed.
It was loud, deep, and completely uncontrolled.
It was the sound of nine years of buried humanity erupting all at once in the center of his sterile office.
The massive guards stared at him in absolute terror, instinctively reaching for their weapons because they assumed their boss had finally lost his mind.
Sal Genevesi scrambled backward across the newly cleaned Persian rug, his weeping entirely silenced by the horrifying sound of the Don’s amusement.
Emily Davies did not flinch, nor did she join in the laughter.
She simply stood beside the reclaimed walnut desk, her arm outstretched, holding the expensive Montblanc pen steady.
Dante’s laughter slowly subsided into a breathless, rusty chuckle.
He wiped a single tear from the corner of his dark eye and looked at his secretary as though he were seeing her clearly for the very first time.
He Holstered his suppressed 9mm pistol in a single, fluid motion beneath his tailored blazer.
He walked toward the desk, took the heavy pen from Emily’s hand, and swiftly signed the stack of falsified IRS depreciation forms.
“Take Sal down to the warehouse,” Dante ordered the guards, his voice finally returning to its usual cold register, though the terrifying edge was gone.
“And make sure the plastic sheeting is down. Emily is right. The cleaning surcharge is ridiculous.”
The guards hauled the sobbing capo out of the office, the heavy oak doors clicking firmly shut behind them.
Emily gathered the signed documents, straightened the folder, and turned to leave.
“Emily,” Dante said quietly, stopping her in her tracks.
“Yes, Mr. Marino?”
“You traced the missing three million in twelve minutes.”
It was not a question.
“Yes, sir.”
Dante leaned against the edge of his desk, studying her sensible gray skirt and her exhausted, permanent scowl.
“My chief financial officer has been looking for that money for three weeks.”
“Your chief financial officer is an idiot,” Emily replied without hesitation. “He uses the word ‘synergy’ unironically and he smells like cheap gin by noon.”
Dante’s mouth twitched, fighting another impossible smile.
“Fire him,” Dante commanded smoothly.
Emily paused, her hand resting on the brass door handle.
“Fire the CFO of a multinational crime syndicate?”
“Yes.”
“And who is going to replace him right before the IRS audit at two o'clock?”
Dante looked directly into her eyes, the dark void of his stare suddenly burning with intense, focused heat.
“You are,” he stated.
Emily blinked twice, processing the sudden, massive promotion and the terrifying danger that came with it.
May you like
Before she could accept or decline, the intercom on Dante’s desk buzzed frantically.
“Boss,” a panicked guard shouted through the speaker. “The IRS auditors just walked into the lobby, but they brought an FBI tactical team with them.”
