Chapter 10 - THE INTRUDER IN THE SHADOWS
The door swung wide open.
The hallway light cast a long, jagged silhouette across the Persian rug.
I raised the brass paperweight, my muscles tensed to strike.
“Step back!” I warned.
A low chuckle echoed from the doorway.
A figure stepped out of the shadows.
It wasn't an assassin.
It wasn't Uncle Salvatore.
It was Marco, Gabriel's loyal cousin.
He held his hands up, palms open, smiling faintly.
“Easy, Claire. It's just me.”
I lowered the paperweight slightly, though my grip remained tight.
“Marco? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be guarding the perimeter.”
Marco walked slowly into the room, glancing at my laptop.
“I saw the federal agents leave,” he said quietly.
“And I knew you were up here alone.”
“Why are you sneaking around?” I demanded.
Marco sighed, pulling a chair out and sitting down uninvited.
“Because Gabriel made a lot of enemies, Claire. Not just his uncles.”
“What are you talking about?”
Marco leaned forward, his eyes dark and serious.
“Gabriel thought he was the smartest man in Chicago. He thought he was playing his uncles, playing Isabella, and playing the feds.”
“He was,” I said. “I listened to the audio file.”
Marco raised an eyebrow.
“Did you listen to the whole file?”
My stomach tightened.
“What do you mean? There was more?”
Marco reached into his jacket and pulled out an identical USB drive.
He tossed it onto the desk.
“Gabriel wasn't just framing Salvatore, Claire. Someone was framing Gabriel.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
“Who?”
“Isabella,” Marco said bluntly.
“She's been working with the Chicago District Attorney for over a year. She recorded every conversation, manipulated every wire transfer, and pushed Gabriel into cornering his own family.”
The room seemed to spin.
“Why would she do that?” I whispered.
“Because Isabella isn't just a mistress,” Marco said darkly.
“She is Agent Vance's confidential informant. And her ultimate goal was never Gabriel.”
Marco stood up, leaning over the desk.
May you like
“Her goal was this entire estate. And she needed Gabriel out of the way to get it.”
[CLIFFHANGER: Marco reveals a signed contract proving Isabella legally owns the land beneath the Moretti estate—unless Claire can find the hidden counter-deed before midnight.]
