“Testy.” Luca’s voice was smooth as a blade. “You sound like a man who just lost something.”
“She’s gone.” The words were raw in Tonio’s throat.
A beat of silence, then Luc, his voice dangerously quiet: “How?”
“A wrong-number call on the hardline. A distraction. She took my car.”
“She played you.” The observation was flat, final. Luc’s tone shifted, all business now, the anger buried under cold efficiency. “How long?”
“Minutes.”
Luc’s tone changed. “We have a problem. The senator called—personally. He’s panicked. He’s offering triple our usual rate plus access to his defense contracts.”
Tonio went still. “Since when do we care about government contracts?”
“Since they became the new frontier,” Luc snapped. “This is a key to the kingdom, Tonio. It’s not just money. It’s legitimacy. It’s being untouchable.”
“But there’s a catch.”
Tonio felt the blood drain from his face. “He wants her handed over.”
“No,” Luc said, his voice hard. “He wants leverage—wants us to show her, to trade her. He thinks she’s our pawn. If we turn up empty-handed, the deal dies. And the men he sends to clean this up won’t stop at her.”
The truth landed like ice. Their ‘win’ was a bluff; their bargaining chip was gone.
Over my dead body.The words were a vow, silent and absolute. He would burn the world to ash before he let them use her as a bargaining chip.
“We take the meeting,” Tonio said, his words already cold with calculation. “We make him believe she’s still in the cage.”
“We will,” Luc snapped. “We’ll sit across that table and sell him the lie. We turn his panic into our power—or we burn the whole board.”
The safe housefelt emptied out. She had the SUV; he had nothing but the memory of a ringing phone and a plan to get to the city. Part of that plan was a single number stored in his burner phone—Mick.
Tonio called the local asset. The diesel engine was loud in the silence Sofia left behind as Mick picked him up a mile down the road.
“Where to?” Mick grunted, eyeing the duffel.
“Your lot.”
An hour later, under a single security light, Tonio pressed cash into Mick’s hand for a dull, decade-old sedan that smelled like oil and cigarettes. Anonymous. Perfect.
He drove until the sky paled, abandoned the car in long-term parking, and wiped it down out of habit. Then came a cash cab,an unmarked service entrance, a keypad, a freight elevator, and the silent assessment of security checks.
The door to the penthouse opened before Tonio could knock. Carlos stood there, gave him a once-over, and stepped aside without a word.
The study smelled of cigars and espresso. Luc stood at the window, his back turned.
“Took you long enough.”
Tonio said nothing.
Luc poured bourbon; Tonio left the glass untouched.
“We’re out of time,” Tonio said. “The Senator’s fixer is ready to flip. He’s scared he’s the next loose end.”
Luc swirled his glass. “What does he have?”
“Everything.” Tonio pulled out his phone. “A full confession. On the record.”
