Chapter 9 - THE TRAITOR
Vincent raised his gun.
“Donovan.”
“Boss.”
“Come in alone.”
The door opened.
Donovan entered slowly.
His hands were visible.
He looked exhausted.
There was blood on his collar.
Vincent kept the weapon aimed at his chest.
“You’ve got ten seconds.”
Donovan looked at Mave.
“Salvatore knows about the files.”
“How?”
“Because I told him.”
Leo lunged forward.
“You piece of—”
Vincent stopped him with one hand.
Mave stared at Donovan.
“You betrayed him?”
“Yes.”
Vincent’s voice was frighteningly calm.
“Why?”
Donovan swallowed.
“My daughter.”
That changed the room.
“She’s sixteen,” Donovan said. “Salvatore took her two weeks ago.”
Leo’s anger faded slightly.
“He told me if I didn’t feed him information, she disappeared.”
Vincent lowered his gun an inch.
“Where is she?”
“Warehouse in Red Hook.”
“How many men?”
“Twenty. Maybe more.”
“Voss?”
“There.”
Mave stepped closer.
“Why tell us now?”
Donovan looked at her.
“Because Salvatore ordered me to bring him your head.”
Nobody breathed.
“And?”
“I’m tired of being afraid of him.”
Vincent lowered the weapon.
Donovan exhaled.
Then Leo punched him in the face.
Donovan hit the floor.
“That,” Leo said, “was for the car crash.”
Vincent looked at him.
“Feel better?”
“A little.”
Donovan sat up, holding his nose.
“I probably deserved that.”
“You did.”
Mave returned to the computer.
“If Salvatore is at Red Hook, maybe his servers are there too.”
Donovan shook his head.
“No. Financial records are kept at the old Costa social club.”
Vincent frowned.
“Mulberry Street?”
“Yes.”
Mave looked at the screen.
“If we get physical access, I can pull everything.”
Vincent immediately said, “No.”
She threw up her hands.
“Can we please retire that word?”
“You’re not breaking into a mob social club.”
“You need proof.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“You don’t know how to extract encrypted financial records.”
“I have people.”
“Half your people are trying to kill you.”
Leo nodded.
“She has a point.”
Vincent glared at him.
“I’m staying out of this.”
“You literally just entered it.”
The argument ended when Donovan’s phone rang.
Everyone looked at him.
The display showed UNKNOWN.
Donovan answered.
Salvatore’s voice came through.
“You found them?”
Donovan looked at Vincent.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
A girl screamed in the background.
Donovan’s face went white.
“Dad!”
“Emma!”
Salvatore laughed.
“Bring Vincent and the girl to Red Hook by six.”
Donovan was shaking.
“If you touch her—”
“You already know what happens.”
The line went dead.
Vincent looked at the clock.
4:47 a.m.
Seventy-three minutes.
Mave shut the laptop.
“We’re going.”
Vincent stared at her.
“No.”
She stepped directly in front of him.
“Then tie me to a chair.”
His jaw tightened.
“Don’t tempt me.”
Mave held his gaze.
“I can get into Salvatore’s accounts. I can destroy his leverage. And I can make sure Donovan gets his daughter back.”
Vincent’s voice dropped.
“You could die.”
“So could you.”
“Different.”
“Why?”
He didn’t answer.
Mave stepped closer.
“Say it.”
Vincent’s eyes locked on hers.
“What?”
“Say why my life matters more.”
A long silence.
May you like
Then Vincent said the one thing she was not prepared to hear.
“Because I’m in love with you.”
