Chapter 11 - The Serpent in the Inner Circle
The retaliation was planned for midnight.
Gabriel sat at the war room table with his top lieutenants, reviewing satellite surveillance maps of the Valenti estate in the Hudson Valley.
“Don Valenti has fortified his mansion with thirty private security contractors,” Marco explained, pointing at the thermal map.
“He knows we’re coming. He has anti-vehicle barriers at the main gate and snipers on the roof.”
“Then we don’t use the main gate,” Gabriel said coldly.
“We cut their power from the substation, breach through the frozen riverfront with snowmobiles, and hit them from the rear.”
While Gabriel planned the tactical strike, Sarah sat in the adjacent sitting room, reviewing the household staff files with Mrs. Higgins, the new head housekeeper.
Sarah’s sharp eyes caught a discrepancy in the payroll ledger.
“Mrs. Higgins,” Sarah said, tapping a line on the tablet.
“Who approved the delivery of the floral arrangements for the dining room this morning?”
“Mr. Moretti’s florist, ma'am. It was cleared by the gate captain, Victor.”
Sarah froze.
Victor was one of Gabriel’s oldest personal guards.
He had been with the family for twelve years.
He was the one who had unlocked Gate 4 during the afternoon breach.
Sarah stood up, her heart racing.
“Where is Victor right now?”
“He is stationed at the eastern security annex, ma'am, monitoring the perimeter cameras.”
Sarah didn't hesitate.
She bypassed the guards, walked straight into the war room, and slammed the tablet onto the center of the tactical map.
The capos fell silent.
Gabriel looked up, his brow furrowing.
“Sarah? What is it?”
“Victor is the third rat,” Sarah said with icy certainty.
“He cleared an unscheduled florist van through Gate 4 twenty minutes before the power was cut. He was the only guard on duty with access to the breaker override.”
Gabriel’s eyes turned into twin chips of frozen granite.
He didn't question her.
He didn't ask for further proof.
He trusted her instincts implicitly.
He looked at Marco.
“Bring Victor to the armory. Now.”
Five minutes later, Victor was dragged into the basement armory by four guards.
The veteran guard was trembling, his face slick with sweat.
Gabriel walked up to him, his heavy silver ring gleaming under the fluorescent lights.
“Twelve years, Victor,” Gabriel said softly, the quietness of his voice far more terrifying than a shout.
“I paid for your mother’s cancer treatment. I put your daughters through college.”
“Boss, please!” Victor sobbed, dropping to his knees.
“Valenti has my son! They took him from his dorm in Boston! They told me if I didn't open Gate 4, they would send him back in pieces!”
Gabriel paused.
He looked over at Sarah, who stood near the doorway.
In the old days, Gabriel would have executed Victor on the spot along with his entire family tree to send a message.
Sarah stepped forward, her voice calm and measured.
“Where is your son being held, Victor?” she asked.
“A safehouse near Poughkeepsie,” Victor stammered.
“Three guards. They’re executing him at midnight if the hit on Mr. Rossi fails.”
Sarah looked at Gabriel.
“Send a team to save the boy,” Sarah said.
“Then use Victor to give Valenti false coordinates for your counter-attack.”
Gabriel stared at his wife.
A brilliant, ruthless mind behind those gentle eyes.
She was not just surviving in this world; she was mastering it.
Gabriel turned to Marco.
May you like
“You heard my wife,” Gabriel commanded.
“Dispatch Alpha team to Poughkeepsie. Retrieve the boy. And Victor… if you breathe a single word of this to Valenti, I won't just kill you. I will erase your name from history.”
