Chapter 6 - THE FILES THAT COULD START A WAR
Nico Russo arrived that evening.
He was Vincent's younger cousin, a sharp-eyed attorney who handled the legitimate side of the family business.
He examined the flash drive with a forensic specialist.
The files were encrypted.
But not completely.
Within hours, they recovered several documents.
Shipping manifests.
Bank transfers.
Invoices.
And photographs.
The photographs changed everything.
They showed containers arriving at Pier Seventeen.
Inside were crates marked as industrial equipment.
But the documents described something else.
Illegal weapons.
Money laundering.
And payments to officials who had allowed the shipments through.
The Doyle family had been using the proposed peace agreement to protect their operation.
Vincent stared at the screen.
His expression was cold.
Nico looked at him.
“If this becomes public, the agreement collapses.”
Vincent nodded.
“And if it doesn't?”
Nico hesitated.
“More shipments come through.”
I stood near the doorway.
My stomach turned.
Graham had tried to force me into a private dinner.
He'd beaten me when I refused.
And all the while, he was helping move illegal weapons through Chicago.
I looked at Vincent.
“What happens now?”
He turned.
“We preserve the evidence.”
Nico nodded.
“And involve federal investigators.”
I stared.
“Your family works with federal investigators?”
Vincent's mouth curved without humor.
“Not usually.”
I looked between them.
“Then why now?”
May you like
Vincent studied the photographs.
Then said, “Because some things are bigger than family pride.”
