Chapter 1 - The Midnight Confession
Elena did not lower her gaze when the most dangerous man in Chicago stepped closer.
She held her ground with a quiet defiance that Matteo Valente rarely saw in anyone.
"I was wearing your shirt because my uniform was ruined," she said evenly.
Matteo stopped dead in his tracks.
The air in the private study suddenly grew incredibly dense.
"Ruined by what?" he asked, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper.
"By the blood I had to clean up in the east corridor at eleven o'clock that night," she replied.
Matteo's mind raced as he processed this impossible information.
There had been no reports of violence in his home.
His pristine security system had not registered a single breach.
"Whose blood?" Matteo demanded.
"I don't know," Elena said.
She crossed her arms over her chest.
"But I know the man who was bleeding was the same man who walked out of this study holding a silver object."
Matteo felt a cold spike of adrenaline hit his veins.
The worthless old Seiko watch had a silver casing.
"Describe him," Matteo ordered.
Elena did not hesitate for a fraction of a second.
"He was tall, wore a tactical uniform, and walked with a slight limp in his left leg."
She took a slow breath before delivering the final detail.
"And he had a black snake tattooed across the back of his right hand."
Matteo felt the world tilt slightly beneath his feet.
The black snake was the undeniable mark of the Viper Syndicate.
They were a ruthless cartel that Matteo had supposedly eradicated from Chicago five years ago.
If a Viper had bled in his hallway, it meant his impenetrable fortress was completely compromised.
He turned toward his desk to hit the silent lockdown alarm.
Before his fingers could even graze the hidden button, the heavy oak doors of the study slammed shut on their own.
The electronic lock clicked with a sickening, final sound.
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Matteo spun around to face the doors.
A thick, acrid smoke began pouring in through the ventilation grates in the ceiling.
