Chapter 5 - The Mob Boss
Daniel stared down the black barrel of the suppressed pistol, his entire body trembling violently.
He recognized the name Rossi from the darkest, most terrifying rumors whispered in the Chicago financial district.
The Rossi family controlled the most ruthless, violent organized crime syndicate in the entire Midwest.
"There must be a huge misunderstanding," Daniel stammered, raising both his hands in a gesture of total surrender.
"My firm only handles legitimate corporate risk management and tax consulting."
Rossi laughed, a dark, completely humorless sound that echoed off the empty bedroom walls.
"You really thought those mysterious offshore shell companies belonged to legitimate tech billionaires?" Rossi mocked.
Daniel felt a massive, crushing weight drop directly into the pit of his stomach.
He had always known the money he was hiding was dirty, but he purposefully never asked who owned it.
"The federal investigation you triggered this morning has completely frozen our primary holding accounts," Rossi explained angrily.
Rossi aggressively grabbed Daniel by the collar of his suit, slamming him brutally against the bare wall.
"You lost my family five million dollars today, Daniel," Rossi whispered dangerously close to his ear.
Daniel gasped for air, his mind racing desperately for any possible way out of an execution.
"I didn't leak those files, my wife did it to frame me for cheating on her," Daniel pleaded frantically.
Rossi released his grip slightly, looking at Daniel with a mixture of disgust and pure pity.
"You let a scorned housewife outsmart you and destroy my money?" Rossi asked, clearly entirely unimpressed.
"I can get it back for you," Daniel promised quickly, saying anything to stay alive.
"I know exactly how her mind works, and I know where she hides things."
Rossi stared into Daniel's desperate, highly terrified eyes for a long, agonizing moment.
He slowly lowered the suppressed pistol, sliding it smoothly back into his tailored suit jacket.
"You have exactly forty-eight hours to return every single penny to my new offshore account," Rossi commanded.
Rossi pulled a pristine white business card from his pocket and flicked it casually onto the hardwood floor.
"If the money isn't in that account by midnight on Sunday, I will personally slowly peel your skin off."
Rossi turned around and walked casually out of the empty bedroom, his heavy footsteps fading down the stairs.
Daniel slumped completely to the floor, gasping for breath as he realized the true magnitude of his nightmare.
He was entirely broke, publicly disgraced, and currently being hunted by the Chicago mob.
He needed to find Claire immediately, completely strip her of whatever money she had, and sacrifice her to Rossi.
He crawled toward the business card on the floor, deeply desperate for any trace of leverage.
When he picked up the small white card, he noticed there was a handwritten note on the back.
The handwriting did not belong to the terrifying mob boss.
May you like
It was Claire's distinct, elegant cursive script, and the message made Daniel's blood turn to ice.
The note simply read: "They are going to kill you, Daniel, and it is going to be incredibly beautiful."
