Chapter 29 - The Fires of Absolution
As the documents and the encrypted drive dissolved into gray soot, the heavy silence of the sunroom returned, broken only by the crackle of the flames. Claire watched the ash drift up the chimney, her expression calm, the momentary flash of tension completely gone.
"Whoever sent that package expected us to panic," Claire murmured, turning her gaze back to Luca. "They expected us to tear our own empire apart trying to hunt down a phantom from the past."
"They didn't understand that we aren't the children who inherited the syndicate," Luca replied, pulling her close against his chest, his arms wrapping around her waist with possessive warmth. "We are the ones who burned the past to the ground and built something eternal in its place."
Tomas re-entered the sunroom, stopping a respectful distance away. "We ran a reverse-trace on the courier service that delivered the case, Mr. Moretti. The driver was a civilian hired through a blind digital front in downtown Chicago. He didn't know who handed him the package; he was paid in cash."
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"Leave it, Tomas," Luca instructed evenly. "There is no ghost to hunt. The message has been reduced to ash. Double the perimeter patrols, and ensure the internal encryption firewalls are locked at maximum sensitivity. That is all."
As Tomas nodded and exited the room, Claire rested her head against Luca’s shoulder, listening to the steady, reassuring beat of his heart. The brief ripple in their absolute peace had vanished, swallowed whole by the unyielding strength of their bond.
