Chapter 2: The Name Hidden in the Numbers
Gabriele Romano did not believe in coincidences.
He believed in patterns.
A man could lie with his mouth.
A company could lie with its reports.
But numbers?
Numbers always confessed eventually.
That was why he hired Federica Ferrari.
She was not flashy.
She was not connected.
She did not attend parties with politicians or sit at tables with criminals.
She sat in quiet rooms and found things people wanted buried.
The irony was that the woman who spent two years uncovering financial secrets had become the biggest secret in his world.
Now she sat across from him at a safe house dining table with a bandage across her forehead and a cup of untouched coffee beside her.
“You’re supposed to be resting,” Gabriele said.
Federica looked at the papers spread in front of her.
“You’re supposed to be finding your traitor.””
“You almost died.””
“So did your nephew.””
The answer hit harder than he expected.
Gabriele looked away.
Nobody spoke to him like that.
Not his soldiers.
Not his enemies.
Not even his family.
Federica Ferrari did it while wearing hospital socks and holding a calculator.
Marco Bellini stood nearby, watching them carefully.
“Boss,” Marco said, “the drive has been copied.””
Federica looked up.
“Copied?””
Marco nodded.
“We made three encrypted copies.””
“Good,” she said.
Gabriele raised an eyebrow.
“You expected someone to take it?””
Federica gave him a tired look.
“I work in accounting. My entire career is built around expecting people to hide things.””
The drive contained payment records.
Not rumors.
Not guesses.
Transactions.
Money moving through shell companies connected to Romano Holdings.
Payments made days before Leo’s kidnapping.
Federica tapped one line.
“There.””
Gabriele leaned closer.
A company name appeared.
A company he recognized.
A company owned by someone inside his circle.
“Damian Voss.””
The room went quiet.
Damian Voss had been working with the Romano organization for seven years.
He handled international logistics.
He was intelligent.
Polite.
Reliable.
The kind of man people trusted because he never raised his voice.
Federica looked at Gabriele.
“People like Damian are dangerous.””
Gabriele’s eyes narrowed.
“Because they’re smart?””
“No.””
She pointed at the screen.
“Because everyone thinks they’re safe.””
Before Gabriele could answer, his phone rang.
Everyone stopped.
Only a few people had that number.
He answered.
“Speak.””
The voice on the other end was urgent.
“Boss, we found Damian.””
Gabriele stood.
“Where?””
A pause.
Then:
“He’s at the Romano family estate.””
Federica frowned.
“That makes no sense.””
Gabriele looked at her.
“No?””
“No.””
She stood slowly.
“He knows you’re looking for him.””
Marco reached for his weapon.
Federica continued.
“So why would he wait somewhere obvious?””
Nobody answered.
Because the answer was obvious.
It was a trap.
Gabriele grabbed his coat.
“Stay here.””
Federica stared.
“You think I’m staying?””
“Yes.””
“No.””
His jaw tightened.
“You were kidnapped twelve hours ago.””
“And I found your nephew.””
“You are not trained for this.””
Federica looked at him.
“No. I’m trained to find what people miss.””
That stopped him.
Because she was right.
A criminal could chase a person.
An accountant could chase a pattern.
Gabriele hated that he needed her.
He hated even more that he trusted her.
Finally, he nodded.
“Marco.””
The captain stepped forward.
“Yes, boss?””
“Bring her.””
Federica blinked.
“That sounded almost like permission.””
“It wasn’t.””
“Good.””
For the first time, Gabriele almost smiled.
Almost.
The Romano estate was thirty minutes away.
And by the time they arrived, the front gate was open.
Too open.
The guards were gone.
The lights were on.
And Damian Voss was standing in the middle of the entrance hall.
Waiting.
He smiled when he saw Gabriele.
“Boss.””
Gabriele walked forward.
“You have a strange sense of timing.””
Damian looked past him.
His eyes landed on Federica.
And his smile changed.
“Ah.””
He nodded slowly.
“The accountant.””
Federica felt something cold move through her.
Because Damian was not surprised to see her alive.
May you like
He looked disappointed.
“You weren’t supposed to escape.””
