Chapter 5 - An Unlikely Alliance
Clare stared at the mafia boss, looking for any sign of a cruel trap. Instead, she saw a heavy, crushing burden that mirrored her own. Slowly, caution overtook her grief.
"What kind of help?" she asked cautiously.
"Marcus Vance believes he is untouchable," Victor explained, leaning against the edge of an adjacent table. "He thinks he manipulated me into eliminating a loose end. But Julian kept records. If he found proof of Marcus's embezzlement, he must have hidden it somewhere safe before they silenced him."
Clare shook her head. "Julian knew they were watching him. The night he disappeared, he told me to take Maisie and go to his brother's old cabin in the northern woods if anything happened. We never found anything there, just old books and furniture."
"A cabin," Victor murmured. "Marcus has been searching for those exact records for three years. If they are anywhere, they are buried where Julian felt safest."
Before Clare could respond, a heavy knock echoed against the exterior service door. Footsteps approached rapidly. Vincent Hale burst into the laundry room, looking more unsettled than Victor had ever seen him.
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"Boss, we have a situation," Vincent said, casting a wary glance at Clare. "Marcus knows you've been pulling Julian's file. He's calling an emergency meeting of the regional capos, and he's moving men into position around the estate."
Victor’s expression hardened into stone. The trap was springing sooner than anticipated.
