Page 167 of Double Trouble for the Mafia Prince
Gianna stands on that platform.
She doesn’t speak when she sees me, but her eyes widen just slightly. Her shoulders tighten.
Rafa is beside her, holding her arm—not harshly, but close enough to signal ownership. Arditi stands at the terminal, fingers dancing over keys.
His face doesn’t register surprise.
Only calculation.
"You’re early," he says without turning.
I raise my weapon and aim for Rafa’s chest. "Let her go."
"You’re not going to shoot," Rafa says. His voice is steady, too steady for a man who just saw his empire about to fall. "If you do, we all lose. Including her."
"You used her," I say, voice low.
Rafa tightens his grip. "She’s the last viable thread to our father’s code. The core of Operation Umber was encrypted with a biometric lock that only recognized direct Rossi blood. We didn’t invent this. We inherited it."
Gianna speaks before I can.
"You were supposed to keep me safe."
"I am," Rafa answers much too quickly. "Gianna, this is what we were meant to do. You, me—this room was built for us. For our future."
I step forward, my boot scraping against the concrete.
"Your future is built on her captivity. Which means it’s already collapsing."
Arditi doesn't flinch.
His fingers hover over the screen beside him.
"You think this is about your marriage? You think this is about your pride? If you kill us now, you lose everything this room controls. The system has a failsafe. If the operators are compromised, it wipes itself. Gone. Every route. Every transfer. Every safehouse code. She dies first. The failsafe triggers at a vital sign drop. Her presence is the lock. But it’s also the tripwire."
I keep the gun raised.
I watch Rafa’s face.
He believes it.
He built his whole play on it.
"You’ve already spilled blood," I say.
"I mean no more," Arditi replies. "You walk out with your wife. We walk out with a future. No noise. No more casualties."
Gianna’s voice cuts through the quiet like broken glass.
"There were already casualties. Was poisoning my family and tailing my children worth it, Rafa?"
He looks shaken, just a flicker, but he tries to mask it.
"Those weren’t orders from me. Renato went too far. You have to believe me."
"You had your chance," I say.
I take one more step and fire.
