Chapter 10 - The False Victory
An older, sharply dressed man stepped slowly out of the shadows.
It was Julian’s powerful Uncle Carmine, the undisputed head of the Italian Commission.
"Uncle Carmine," Julian gasped in absolute shock.
"I heard about Marcus's pathetic betrayal, so I brought fifty of my best men," Carmine explained calmly.
"The Volkov hitmen in the woods are already dead, and your estate is completely secure."
The immediate, terrifying threat was entirely neutralized in the blink of an eye.
Julian let out a ragged breath and pulled Emily tightly into his strong arms.
He pressed a desperate, passionate kiss to her lips, entirely ignoring his uncle's presence.
Emily kissed him back with everything she had, feeling a profound, incredible wave of safety.
She had finally found a real family to spend Christmas with.
"I am going to grab a warm blanket for Lily," Emily smiled softly, wiping a tear from her cheek.
She walked quietly into Carmine's temporary office in the back room of the cabin.
She reached for a heavy wool blanket draped over a chair and accidentally bumped the desk.
Carmine's heavy leather briefcase tipped over, spilling highly classified Syndicate files across the Persian rug.
Emily dropped to her knees to quickly gather the scattered documents.
A single, grainy black-and-white photograph immediately caught her attention.
It was a clear picture of her father's mangled car from the night of his unsolved hit-and-run death.
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Clipped neatly to the horrific photograph was a formal, typed assassination order.
The messy, completely unmistakable signature at the bottom of the execution order belonged to Julian Mercer.
