Chapter 3 - The Ghost of the Past
Vincent kicked the bedroom door wide open and aimed his suppressed pistol directly at Clara's head.
He moved with lethal speed, kicking the heavy wooden door shut behind him and locking the deadbolt.
Clara did not scream, flinch, or drop the tiny listening device she held in her palm.
She slowly raised her empty hands in the air, keeping her calm, dark eyes locked entirely on Vincent's furious face.
Vincent demanded to know exactly who she was working for and why she was sending coded Russian messages.
Clara calmly explained that she sent the message to a private extraction team to get Matteo out of the country.
She said the Rossi estate was completely compromised and they were all going to die if they stayed here.
Vincent pressed the cold steel barrel of his gun firmly against her forehead.
He told her she had exactly five seconds to give him a reason not to paint the wall with her brains.
Clara did not blink as she told him her real name was not Clara Hayes.
She revealed that she was a former combat medic who had served three tours in the deadliest war zones on earth.
She had spent the last two years hunting the Falcone cartel to avenge the brutal murder of her younger sister.
The Falcones were Vincent's greatest rivals, the very same men who had planted the car bomb that crippled his son.
Clara said she infiltrated the Rossi estate because she knew the Falcones had a high-level mole inside Vincent's organization.
She pointed to the listening bug and stated that the transmitter was currently broadcasting to a receiver inside this very house.
Vincent felt a sickening wave of betrayal wash over his entire body.
He asked her if she knew the identity of the traitor who had sold out his family.
Before Clara could answer, a heavy, rhythmic knock echoed loudly on the bedroom door.
Dominic's deep, familiar voice called out, asking if everything was alright inside the room.
May you like
Clara's eyes widened in absolute terror as all the color drained completely from her face.
She leaned forward and silently mouthed to Vincent that Dominic was the man who had murdered her sister.
