I tap the screen, zooming in on the city. I highlight the North Depot—a massive, secure storage facility on land, miles away from the water.
"The North Depot?" Lev frowns. "That warehouse is a fortress, Boss. But it's empty. The Blackwoods barely used it."
"Moretti doesn't know that. Tomorrow, we start prepping it. We send trucks and heavy security. Clear the perimeter. Make it look like we're preparing a high-security vault to receive the 'Mystery Cargo' by land."
Lev nods. "You want them to think the ship is empty."
"I want them to think the ship is the distraction," I say. "Make them believe the real assets are being moved by land to the Depot. If they spend the next twelve days staring at theNorth Depot, wondering what we're hiding in there, they won't be looking at the harbor when theAnastasiaslips in."
"It's a solid play," Lev admits, rubbing his chin. "But the Italians aren't amateurs. Just sending trucks won't convince them. They need to see something... or someone... that makes it real."
I turn to him and force the next words out.
"That’s why Helena is going."
Lev goes still. He sets his hand on the back of a chair, face tightening. "You're sending her out?"
"I have to," I say. "Moretti knows Helena's signature is the key to the empire now. If I send guards, he’ll ignore it, but if the Director of Operations goes there personally and signs off on the security upgrades, he'll believe it's critical."
"Konstantin," Lev says, his voice dropping low. "You’re painting a target on her back. If the Italians think she’s guarding what matters, they'll hit her."
"I’m removing the target!" I snap, slamming my hand on the desk. "The Harbor is going to be a war zone, Lev. If the Italians strike, they'll strike the water. They’ll burn the docks to get that ship. You want her here for that?"
"You lose her, you lose the company," Lev argues. "She’s the only reason the Council respects us right now. Sending her into the open?—"
"The Depot isn't in the open. It's a fortress.” I cut him off. "It has reinforced walls, a perimeter fence, and it's twenty miles from the coast. It's the safest place for her."
"And the transit?" Lev challenges. "The twenty miles between here and there?"
"She’ll be in the Sentinel," I say.
Lev freezes, staring at me and blinking slowly. "The Sentinel? You're bringing out the tank?"
"I want her inside that Depot before the market opens," I say. "Route her through the Narrows."
"The Narrows?" Lev frowns. "That's a choke point, Boss. The Industrial Highway is faster."
"The Highway is too open," I say. "I'll have a construction crew block the on-ramp at 7:00 AM. Force all traffic onto the bridge. If the Italians are watching, I want them to see the Sentinel stuck in traffic. I want them to have a good, long look at the decoy."
Lev shakes his head, pacing away. "You only use the Sentinel for heads of state. Or for war. That thing screams 'high value target' from three blocks away."
"That’s exactly why she’s taking it," I say. "It sells the lie, Lev. When the Italians see that car enter the Depot, they won't think we are moving a wife. They'll think we are securing the asset."
"And if they decide to hit it?"
"They won't. They want the cargo, not a pile of burning scrap metal. If they think the shipment is inside that Depot, they'll set up a perimeter. They’ll watch the walls, map the guards, and plan a siege to get the inventory out intact. They'll spend the next twelve days obsessed with that building, wondering how to break in."
I look back at the map, at the blue line of theAnastasiamoving through the water.
"And while they are fixated on the Depot... theAnastasiaslips into the harbor completely unnoticed."
"If they follow her, they leave the harbor exposed," Lev murmurs, working it out.
"Exactly," I say. "They can't be in two places at once. They’ll chase the shiny object. They’ll set up at the Depot and wait for a shipment that never comes. And in twelve days, when they finally realize the Depot is empty, it won't matter."
"Because theAnastasiawill be docked," Lev realizes.
"Because we’ll be re-armed," I correct him, my voice cold. "By the time they look back at the harbor, we will have enough military-grade firepower to wipe the Italians off the map. We don't just win the shipment, Lev. We end the war."
