Chapter 10 - The False Victory
They drove in absolute silence to a secure underground clinic controlled by Leo's loyalists.
The clandestine doctor treated Leo's minor cuts and provided Mave with dry clothes and hot tea.
Leo's men arrived shortly after, confirming that the FBI had raided the mansion but found nothing illegal.
Leo had successfully moved all his illicit shipments out of the estate weeks ago.
The federal agents had nothing to hold him on, and Carmine was arrested for the attempted murder.
The Russian syndicate was currently being dismantled by the FBI using the ledger they found in the vault.
They had won the war entirely by accident.
Leo walked into the small recovery room where Mave was sitting quietly on a cot.
He looked exhausted, stripped of his usual terrifying mafia armor.
"You are free to go, Mave," Leo said softly, refusing to make eye contact with her.
"I transferred a million dollars into your account to help you start a new life."
Mave stood up and walked slowly toward the ruthless crime boss.
She did not walk out the door.
Instead, she reached up and gently touched the harsh lines of his tired face.
Leo closed his eyes and leaned heavily into her warm palm.
He pulled her into his arms, kissing her with a fierce, desperate passion that had been building for years.
Mave kissed him back, finally letting go of the fear that had dictated her entire life.
They pulled apart, sharing a quiet, beautiful moment of absolute victory.
Suddenly, Mave's new company phone vibrated violently on the small table.
She picked it up and opened a new text message from an unknown, blocked number.
The message contained a single, high-resolution photograph.
May you like
It was a picture of Leo's father standing proudly next to the Russian syndicate boss, both of them holding the stolen ledger.
The text beneath the photo read: "Your mother never stole it, Mave; Leo's family hired us to murder her so they could frame the Russians."
