Chapter 8 - The Cost of Loyalty
My mother screamed in sheer panic as Don Carmine aimed the golden gun at Vincent.
"The ledger clearly shows that Vincent authorized the transfer of ten million dollars into a private offshore account," Carmine announced.
Marcus smiled triumphantly, trying to hide the profound relief glowing in his eyes.
Vincent did not beg for his life or try to deny the deadly accusation.
He simply looked at my mother and gave her a small, nearly imperceptible nod.
"That is impossible," my mother shouted, stepping in front of Vincent to shield him from the bullet.
"I typed the passwords every morning for David, and the account numbers were always routed through Marcus's shell companies!"
Carmine's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked down at the digital tablet again.
"Are you calling me a liar, little waitress?" Carmine warned, his finger tightening dangerously on the trigger.
I could not let the man who had tried to help us die.
I broke away from my mother's grip and ran straight toward Don Carmine.
I pointed my small finger directly at the glowing screen in his hands.
"You have to scroll to the bottom to see the real boss," I said confidently.
Carmine looked entirely amused by my bravery and swiped his finger across the screen.
The detailed routing information expanded, revealing the final destination of the stolen funds.
The name on the ultimate offshore account did not belong to Vincent or Marcus.
It belonged entirely to David Sterling.
Marcus's triumphant smile instantly vanished as he realized David had completely double-crossed him too.
Before Carmine could react, Marcus drew a hidden tactical knife and lunged wildly at the Don's throat.
Vincent moved with terrifying speed, intercepting Marcus and slamming him brutally onto the concrete floor.
They wrestled violently for control of the blade, rolling dangerously close to a deep pit of rusted iron spikes.
May you like
With a massive heave, Marcus kicked Vincent off and scrambled quickly to his feet.
Marcus grabbed me by the back of my red hoodie and held the jagged knife directly against my neck.
