Page 68 of Code Name: Admiral

I shook my head. “I’d know it if he was.”

“Are you sure about that?”

I leaned away and raised a brow. “Positive.”

“I gotta admit, it’s really hard to know which of them is telling the truth. One, I hope is, and the other, I hope isn’t.”

“You hope Grit’s lying.”

He nodded. “It would be a helluva lot easier to accept.”

“Can we…err…”

“Get to work now?”

I nodded, perhaps too enthusiastically.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

An alert pingedon my monitors—movement at the safe house address Pershing had given me a few minutes ago. I switched views to access nearby security cameras, my heart rate accelerating as I saw three men in tactical gear approaching the building.

“Looks like we’re not the only ones interested in what’s inside,” I muttered, showing him the feed. The men moved with military precision, covering angles and checking sight lines.

“That doesn’t look like Castellano’s men.”

“You’re right.” I zoomed in on their equipment. “Too professional. More likely they’re bureau—or whoever’s really pulling the strings.”

“Not even a mole could get them that kind of gear. It’s top-of-the-line.”

I watched as they breached the door, thinking about Sarah’s hidden records. My sister had been smart, methodical. She wouldn’t have left anything critical in an obvious location. So what was I missing? I couldn’t shake the feeling that the answers we sought were at my fingertips, but I just couldn’t find them.

A new alert flashed across my screen. It was an attack. One that was more sophisticated than any I’d seen. “They’re probing for weaknesses in my security protocols. But…” Something about the pattern felt deliberate—like breadcrumbs I was meant to follow.

“Look at this,” I said, highlighting a series of encrypted communications buried in the Castellano business records. “These transactions—they’re not what they seem.” I dug deeper into the code, following familiar patterns. “They’re messages hidden in plain sight.”

Pershing leaned closer. “Between who?”

“You are not going to fucking believe this.”

“Alice, if you don’t tell me right this minute, I might have a stroke. Literally.”

“Alessandro Castellano and...” I stared at the screen, not believing what I was seeing. “This can’t be right. The Department of Justice.”

“That’s impossible.” Pershing’s voice was harsh. “Alessandro Castellano is one of the most ruthless enforcers in New York.”

“According to these records, he’s been working to bring down both his brother and the mole.” My hands trembled as I pulled up more files. “He’s systematically documented everything—the corruption, the compromised cases, all of it. It almost looks like he’s trying to destroy his family from the inside.”

“My God.” Pershing gripped the back of my chair. “That’s why Vincent disappeared. He must have discovered Alessandro’s betrayal.”

A new message flashed across my screen.Focus on the offshore accounts. You’ll find the proof there.

“Alessandro’s been working to dismantle the entire criminal empire. To end the Castellano legacy completely,” I said, almost too stunned to speak it out loud.

“The DOJ must have kept this operation completely dark,” Pershing said, his voice as tinged with disbelief as mine was.

Another message appeared.Following the money isn’t enough. Look at the judges’ scheduling records. Cross-reference with Vincent’s travel logs. We’re running out of time.

With shaking hands, I dug deeper into the financial records. The connections were unmistakable. “These payments,” I said, highlighting a series of transactions. “They’re not just bribes. They’re insurance.” I pulled up more records, connecting the dots. “Every time a major case against the Castellanos got shut down, money moved through these accounts. But the amounts are too big for simple payoffs.”

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