Chapter 1 - The Hidden Ledger
Vincent Caruso did not kick the dressing room door open.
He walked silently back to the private elevator.
His jaw was locked so tightly that his teeth ached.
He had spent his entire life destroying men who tried to take his territory.
Now he realized an enemy had slipped directly into his wife's fitting room.
Marcus Bell was waiting in the lobby with a secure tablet.
Vincent did not even look at his oldest friend as he passed.
He simply gave an order.
I want every financial record, private text, and deleted email Laurel Whitman has sent in the last year.
Marcus fell into step beside him.
Is there a problem with the gala preparation?
The problem is that our image director is running a psychological operation on my wife.
Vincent stepped into the back of his armored SUV.
He remembered the way Hannah had touched the green fabric.
He remembered the absolute defeat in her voice.
Hannah had spent her life preserving beautiful things.
She had restored his mother's ruined dress with hands that felt like magic.
Now someone was convincing her that she was too ugly to stand in the light.
Vincent pulled out his phone and stared a picture of his wife.
He loved her curves, her warmth, and the fiercely protective way she loved him.
He would burn the city to the ground before he let Laurel make her feel small.
Marcus tapped on his tablet from the front seat.
Boss, you might want to look at this right now.
Vincent took the device.
Marcus had just breached Laurel's private offshore accounts.
Laurel was not just being a cruel critic.
She had received three deposits of half a million dollars each.
The money had been wired from a shell company in the Cayman Islands.
Vincent recognized the corporate routing number instantly.
It belonged to the Romano family.
The Romanos were his deadliest rivals.
They were the same people who had tried to assassinate him three years ago.
Vincent looked out the tinted window at the freezing Chicago streets.
Laurel is not trying to protect my image.
She is trying to isolate Hannah before they make their move.
Vincent's phone suddenly vibrated in his hand.
It was a text message from an unknown number.
May you like
The message contained a live video feed of Hannah walking out of the hotel.
A red sniper laser was resting directly on her chest.
