Chapter 7 - The Audit
The glowing red dot on Emily's tablet finally stopped moving exactly forty minutes later.
Dante and Emily sat in the back of a heavily armored SUV, surrounded by three more vehicles filled with heavily armed syndicate enforcers.
Marco was driving, weaving smoothly through the dark, abandoned industrial district on the South Side of Chicago.
Dante stared at the tablet, his dark eyes analyzing the location.
The signal was originating from a massive, derelict steel mill that had been shut down for over a decade.
“It's a fortress,” Dante noted grimly, checking the loaded magazines on his tactical vest.
“Thick concrete walls, limited entry points, and likely rigged with explosives given their preferred methods.”
Emily sat beside him, completely unfazed by the terrifying display of weaponry surrounding her.
She was rapidly typing on her tablet, completely bypassing the steel mill's outdated security grid.
“The facility was recently purchased by a shell corporation registered in the Cayman Islands,” Emily reported without looking up.
“However, the holding company is a subsidiary of a massive logistics firm owned by the Moretti family.”
Dante frowned, a cold fury settling deep in his chest.
“The Morettis are completely bankrupt. I destroyed their supply chains years ago.”
“They are financially bankrupt, yes,” Emily corrected efficiently.
“But they clearly used the ten million dollars your wife stole to rebuild a private mercenary army in the shadows.”
Dante flinched slightly at the mention of Clara, the betrayal still a fresh, gaping wound.
He looked at Emily, admiring her incredible ability to remain entirely objective in a warzone.
“We need to breach the main doors before they realize they kidnapped a cardboard cutout and fortify their position,” Dante commanded to Marco.
“No,” Emily interrupted, holding up her hand.
Dante stopped, genuinely surprised that his secretary was countermanding a tactical order.
“A frontal assault will result in heavy casualties and significant property damage, which will attract local law enforcement,” Emily lectured patiently.
“We are going to execute a hostile financial takeover instead.”
Dante stared at her. “You want to buy a steel mill filled with heavily armed mercenaries?”
“I already bought it,” Emily stated simply, turning the tablet to face him.
The screen displayed a finalized digital deed of ownership, officially transferring the property to the Marino Syndicate.
“I used the charity trust funds to purchase the primary debt on the facility while we were driving. We are now the legal owners of the building.”
Dante let out another short, disbelieving laugh.
“Emily, legal ownership does not stop bullets.”
“It does when I shut off the automated ventilation system remotely,” Emily said, pressing a final button on her screen.
“The lower levels of the mill are currently filling with industrial-grade carbon dioxide from the old smelting tanks. They will all be completely unconscious in exactly four minutes.”
Dante sat back against the leather seat, absolutely awestruck by the ruthless, bloodless efficiency of his new CFO.
He realized that Emily was far more dangerous with a laptop than he was with a suppressed pistol.
Four minutes later, Dante and his men entered the sprawling steel mill wearing specialized gas masks.
The massive industrial floor was littered with dozens of heavily armed mercenaries, all completely unconscious and incapacitated by the gas.
Dante moved methodically through the bodies, directing his men to zip-tie and disarm the threats.
He found the leader of the extraction team slumped against a rusty control console.
Dante removed his gas mask as the ventilation system was restored, grabbing the mercenary by the collar and hauling him awake.
“Where is he?” Dante growled, pressing his pistol against the man's forehead.
“Where is the man who hired you?”
The mercenary coughed violently, his eyes rolling back in terror.
“He's not here!” the man choked out. “He's at the Evanston Residential Care Facility!”
Emily, who had followed closely behind Dante, froze completely.
Her tablet slipped from her hands, clattering loudly against the concrete floor.
The Evanston facility was where her younger brother, Leo, was receiving residential care.
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The Morettis hadn't just attacked Dante's office.
They had targeted the one thing Emily cared about in the entire world.
