Page 32 of Secrets in the Dark

Chapter Eight

Roman

"Encryption level six. Impressive for casino HR records," I muttered, fingers flying across the keyboard.

3 am found me in my staff quarters, surrounded by the blue glow of multiple screens. The thumb drive I'd acquired during yesterday's infiltration of Enzo's office contained a goldmine of information—if I could break through the security protocols.

Standard corporate encryption wouldn't have required this level of effort. The Jade Petal's security measures, however, rivaled military-grade protection—further evidence that the casino's systems were designed to hide far more than employee vacation schedules.

I'd spent the last four hours methodically working through security layers, utilizing decryption algorithms I'd developed during my military intelligence days. The processing bar crept forward agonizingly slowly, each percentage point representing thousands of permutations being tested and discarded.

At 97%, my system hesitated, then pinged its success. The files unlocked.

"Finally," I breathed, sorting through the suddenly accessible data.

I navigated to the HR transfer logs, specifically searching for communications related to Nova Sinclair's file—or rather, Celia Marshall's. According to the system, Enzo had authorized a high-priority facial recognition scan of all new employees against a database of "persons of interest" on the exact date Nova had begun her employment. The scan had flagged a 92% match between Nova Sinclair and Celia Marshall, legal assistant at Bailey & Finch LLP.

What made the discovery particularly damning was the immediate follow-up action. Within seventeen minutes of receiving the facial recognition alert, Enzo had forwarded the file—complete with Nova's work schedule, dressing room location, and security badge access limits—to an external number.

The unnamed recipient had responded with a two-word text:Confirmed. Proceeding.

I traced the external number through three different caller-masking protocols before finding its origin. The account was registered to a construction company that had gone bankrupt two years earlier—Meridian Development Group. The company had previously bid on Jade Petal renovation contracts before mysteriously withdrawing.

A quick search through our task force database revealed why: Meridian had been one of Vincent Licata's shell companies, used for laundering proceeds from his organization's less legitimate enterprises.

The phone registered to Meridian had been activated just one day before Celia Marshall's arrival at the Jade Petal. The timing couldn't be coincidence.

"Got you," I said softly, capturing screenshots and embedding them in an encrypted file. This was the connection we'd been missing—proof that Enzo Grimaldi was actively coordinating with Tommy Lace, feeding him inside information on Celia's movements and security vulnerabilities.

I cross-referenced incoming texts to that number with the timing of known incidents: the first rose in Celia's dressing room, the sabotaged lighting grid, the velvet box with its severed stem. Each event had been preceded by a location update from Enzo's phone to the Meridian number.

The pattern was clear: Enzo acting as Tommy's inside man, enabling a systematic terror campaign against Celia Marshall while simultaneously orchestrating security failures that would allow the money transfer to proceed uninterrupted.

My burner phone chimed with an incoming message from Detective Chen:Status update requested. Less than 14 hours until target event.

I compiled my findings into a secure data packet and transmitted it through our encrypted channel, adding my analysis and recommendations for tactical response. The evidence of Enzo's complicity changed our operational parameters significantly.

Chen's response arrived within minutes:Evidence sufficient for warrants. Judge Harmon signing now. SWATdeployment authorized. Modified mission timeline: Asset team Alpha to central deployment 1800 hours. Asset team Bravo to loading dock 1900 hours. Surveillance feeds secured. RICO provisions in effect.

A second message followed:Authorization for phase two approved. Maintain cover until designated signal. Primary objective remains evidence capture. Secondary objective apprehension of T.L. and associates.

The mission was officially elevated to full tactical response. After nearly a year undercover, we were moving to the endgame—simultaneous raids on the money transfer operation and capture of Tommy Lace.

One problem remained: Celia Marshall. She knew nothing about the impending law enforcement operation, yet she'd positioned herself at the center of Tommy's target zone. Her plan to set a trap for Tommy, while admirably brave, could potentially interfere with the larger operation—or worse, leave her exposed when things went critical.

I needed to protect her without revealing my true identity or compromising the mission. It was an impossible balance, but I had no choice. Tommy Lace had made her integral to his distraction strategy, which meant keeping her safe had become essential to mission success.

I encrypted my findings, wiped the system logs, and began preparations for what promised to be the most complicated day of my undercover career.

"Each of you has been selected for specific tactical experience," I explained to the small group gathered in the hotel's secondary maintenance room.

Four individuals dressed as Jade Petal staff—three cocktail servers and one busboy—listened intently. To casual observers, they appeared to be ordinary casino employees. In reality, they were undercover tactical officers specially trained in close-quarters operations.

The maintenance room smelled of industrial cleaner and machine oil, the harsh fluorescent lighting casting everyone in a sickly pallor. We huddled around a steel workbench where building schematics lay spread out, the blue and white lines detailing every corridor and service passage of the massive complex.

"The target zone encompasses both the Dragon's Crown lounge and the main theater," I continued, indicating the locations on the building schematics. "Team Alpha will concentrate on the financial operation in Dragon's Crown. Team Bravo will focus on Tommy Lace and his associates in the theater."

Officer Murphy, disguised as a senior cocktail waitress, pointed to the theater's front row. Her crimson fingernails tapped against the paper. "Confirmed location for T.L.?"

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