Chapter 4 - The Master Ledger
Gabriel crushed the heavy cardstock in his fist.
The master ledger was a digital hard drive containing the financial soul of his empire.
It detailed every bribe paid to federal judges, every offshore account, and every ordered hit.
If that drive fell into the hands of the FBI, Gabriel would receive a dozen consecutive life sentences.
If it fell into the hands of his rivals, they would use it to dismantle his organization overnight.
Norah had not just left him.
She had taken a loaded gun and pointed it directly at his head.
Luca stepped up behind Gabriel and asked what the note said.
Gabriel told him that the ledger was gone.
Luca turned pale, instantly understanding the catastrophic scale of the problem.
He ordered the men to secure the perimeter and sweep the warehouse for listening devices.
Gabriel paced the concrete floor like a caged predator.
He realized Norah was forcing him to choose between saving his empire or finding his children.
His phone vibrated in his pocket with a high-priority encrypted alert.
It was a message from a contact at the Chicago tollway authority.
A vehicle matching the description of the getaway SUV had just been flagged by a camera.
Gabriel opened the image attachment.
The grainy photo showed the SUV passing through a tollbooth heading north toward Wisconsin.
But Gabriel did not focus on the license plate.
He zoomed in on the driver's seat through the rain-streaked windshield.
The driver was a man with a distinct scar running down his cheek.
Gabriel handed the phone to Luca.
Luca stared at the screen and stopped breathing.
Gabriel asked if he recognized the man behind the wheel.
Luca nodded slowly, his eyes wide with horror and confusion.
He said the man was his older brother, Dominic.
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Gabriel drew his weapon and aimed it directly at his head of security.
Dominic had been buried in a closed casket three years ago.
