Page 101 of Double Trouble for the Mafia Prince
Valentina speaks quietly.
"We decrypted another layer this morning. It was embedded inside the legacy backups—hidden under corrupted checksum strings. Someone didn’t want it found."
Luca doesn’t say a word, but I feel his presence behind me like pressure against the back of my skull.
I lower my eyes to the page.
My fingers curl around the edge of the table as I read.
Transfer Request #89372-K
Authorized: Secondary Override Clearance – ROSSI
Subrouting Path: Coastal Entry, masked under maritime logistics
Flagged Content: Munitions, coded as Agricultural Equipment
Timestamp: Six weeks ago
Signed by: Initials R.R.
Access String: 12-GRID-ORION-NOVA
My stomach drops before my mind can catch it.
Not at the initials.
Not at the rerouted cargo.
But at the string.
That exact string.
Twelve-Grid-Orion-Nova.
It wasn’t a default.
It wasn’t generated by the system.
It was something Rafa and I made up as children.
Orion for the constellation we used to count on the roof of the estate.
Nova for the fireworks that lit the southern shore the night Papa shut the docks and let us watch in silence, just the two of us.
It was never recorded.
Never written.
A secret only we shared.
The world blurs for a second. I blink, force myself to re-read it. But it’s still there.
Valentina watches me.
Not accusing.
Not confirming.
