Chapter 1 - The Background Check
Elias dropped the ruined gold pen onto the surface of his mahogany desk.
He stared at the twisted metal, his mind completely consumed by a dark, irrational anger.
Nakia was just a housekeeper.
She was an employee who dusted his shelves and ignored his dangerous lifestyle.
Yet the thought of her sitting across a candlelit table from another man made his blood boil.
He picked up his encrypted smartphone and dialed his head of intelligence, Marcus.
The line connected almost immediately with a secure double click.
He ordered Marcus to run a full background check on a middle school history teacher named Brendan who frequented the local laundromat.
Marcus paused, clearly confused by the utterly mundane request from a ruthless syndicate boss.
Elias did not offer any explanation.
He simply demanded the man's entire life history in less than ten minutes.
Elias paced the length of his massive office, watching the rain hammer against the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Exactly eight minutes later, an encrypted file pinged directly into his secure inbox.
He opened the dossier, his dark eyes scanning the text with predatory focus.
There was a photograph of Brendan, looking exactly like the soft-spoken civilian Nakia had described.
But the text beneath the photograph told a completely different story.
Brendan was not a history teacher.
His real name was Alexei, and he was a professional scout for the Volkov syndicate, Elias's most brutal rivals.
The Volkovs had been trying to find a weakness in Elias's heavily guarded inner circle for months.
They had finally realized that the untouchable Elias Mercer had a massive blind spot for his sarcastic, exhausted maid.
Elias felt a cold, lethal calm wash over his entire body.
He strapped his custom firearm into his shoulder holster and grabbed his tailored coat.
He walked out of the penthouse, ignoring his bewildered security detail.
He drove his armored car through the slick, rain-soaked streets of Chicago like a man possessed.
He tracked Nakia's phone signal to a mid-range Italian restaurant on the edge of the financial district.
Elias pushed through the heavy glass doors, his imposing presence instantly silencing the crowded dining room.
He spotted Nakia sitting in a corner booth, wearing a beautiful dark green dress he had never seen before.
Sitting across from her was Alexei, smiling warmly and pouring her a glass of red wine.
Elias walked slowly across the restaurant, his expensive shoes making no sound on the polished wood floor.
Nakia looked up mid-laugh, her eyes widening in absolute shock as she recognized him.
Before she could speak, Elias slid effortlessly into the booth right next to her.
He looked directly into Alexei's eyes with a terrifying, hollow smile.
"Hello, Brendan, I hope you don't mind if I crash your lovely little date."
Alexei's hand slowly dropped beneath the table, reaching toward his waist.
May you like
Elias casually pressed the cold barrel of his suppressed pistol directly against the scout's knee under the tablecloth.
"I wouldn't do that if you ever want to walk again," Elias whispered.
