Chapter 4 - The Traitor Among Us
The heavy steel door of the bunker sealed shut with a loud hiss.
Inside, the room was lined with monitors showing every security camera on the estate.
Nora had fallen asleep in my arms, exhausted by the terror of the night.
I laid her gently on a leather sofa in the corner.
"Four billion dollars?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Adrian paced in front of the glowing screens.
"My father left the clean assets to James because James was supposed to stay out of the mob," Adrian explained.
"If James died without an heir, the money was supposed to go to a charity trust."
Adrian stopped pacing and looked directly into my eyes.
"But if he had a child, that child inherits everything."
I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering.
"So the Morettis want to kidnap her for ransom?" I asked.
"No," Adrian said grimly.
"If Nora dies, the Morettis have a corrupt judge in their pocket who will award the unclaimed estate to their shell corporations."
My knees gave out, and I sank into a chair.
They didn't want to kidnap my baby.
They wanted to execute her.
"Who knew she was James's daughter?" Adrian demanded, stepping closer to me.
"Nobody," I swore, looking up at him.
"I hid the watch, I changed my last name, I never told a single soul."
Adrian tapped a few keys on the control console.
A security video from four years ago appeared on the screen.
It was the night James died.
"The police said James lost control of his car in the rain," Adrian said.
"But I had my own mechanics look at the wreckage."
Adrian zoomed in on a figure standing near James's car in the driveway just hours before the crash.
"His brake lines were cut," Adrian stated coldly.
My eyes widened as I looked at the blurry figure on the screen.
The man was wearing a very specific silver ring on his right hand.
I gasped, recognizing the jewelry instantly.
"I know who that is," I whispered in horror.
Adrian grabbed my shoulders.
"Who?" he demanded.
I pointed a shaking finger at the screen.
"That's Silas," I said.
Adrian stepped back as if he had been physically struck.
Silas was Adrian's oldest friend, his second-in-command, and the godfather to the Cole family.
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"You're lying," Adrian growled, drawing his weapon and aiming it at the floor.
"If you are lying to protect yourself, Clara, I will kill you myself."
