Chapter 11: The Box Mission

Luca's POV

"That's impossible." Isabella's hands were trembling, so I took the phone. "Vincent Cross is dead."

However, his face was staring at me from the screen, as clear as day. It was the same man I had seen in numerous pictures. The same man whose funeral we had observed from a distance half a year prior.

Marco said, "It has to be fake," as he peered over my shoulder. "Someone photoshopped this."

"Or he faked his death," Nico muttered.

Isabella fell back into her seat. Her face was completely devoid of color. "My father is alive?"

"We don't know that," I replied, despite the fact that the same possibility was going through my head. "This might be a trap. Someone is manipulating you with his image."

"But what if it's not?" Her voice was hardly audible. "What if he's been alive all along?"

I had nothing to say to her. Because, in all honesty, I had no idea.

Everything we believed to be true about Vincent Cross was disintegrating. We first discovered that he had stolen from us. Then we realized Sophia was the true adversary. His ghost was now sending menacing messages.

"We need more information," I stated, seizing the initiative. "We need to understand what we're dealing with before we do anything else."

"What about Elena?" Dante insisted. "We have less than an hour."

"One problem at a time." I took out my own phone and called Nico's backup squad. "I need someone to look at the address in that message. "Now."

I kept an eye on Isabella from the corner of my eye as I issued commands. She sat motionless, gazing at nothing. She was being struck hard by the shock.

She first discovered that her father was a criminal. She may now discover that he abandoned her and staged his own death. A person could be broken by such betrayal.

"Nico," I said as I hung up. "Scout Isabella's apartment complex once more with two men. Vincent may go there in search of the box if he is still alive.

Without saying anything, Nico nodded and walked away. I cherished that aspect of my brother. No queries, no disputes. Just take action.

"What about the rescue mission?" Marco enquired.

"It continues as planned." I looked over at Isabella. "Are you still able to do this? Enter that structure and confront Sophia."

Her eyes were filled with agony as she looked up at me. "It's possible that my father is still alive. It could be him who is threatening to murder me. And you want to know if I can continue?

"Yes."

Her expression hardened in some way. Beneath the shock and fear, I noticed something new. rage.

"If my father truly pretended to be dead, if he truly left me for six months while I sobbed every night believing he was gone..." She slowly got to her feet. "Yes, I am able to continue. because I'm looking for answers."

Excellent. Anger served a purpose. People were kept alive by anger.

"Marco, coordinate outside the apartment building with our teams. You're with Isabella, Dante. From here, I'll handle communications."

"You're not coming?" Dante appeared taken aback.

"Someone must remain back and take care of the larger picture." I looked him in the eye. "And we have a much bigger issue than Sophia and the Kozlovs if this message is indeed from Vincent Cross."

It buzzed on my phone. Nico's report.

The building is encircled. At least fifteen Kozlov men. On neighboring rooftops are three snipers. Both the front and rear entrances are covered.

Even worse than I anticipated. Sophia was not going to take any chances.

There was another message.

Discovered another thing. Two blocks away, a van is parked. The men inside don't resemble Kozlovs. Different style, different equipment. It could be a third party.

an outside party. As if our problems weren't enough.

"Change of plans," I declared. "We hold off until dusk. We will have cover from the darkness, and whoever is in that van may be drawn out."

"But the deadline—" Isabella began.

"Sophia won't kill Elena before midnight," I firmly stated. "As leverage, she needs her alive. Things are altered by this message from your "father." We must find out who else is participating in this game.

Isabella appeared to want to argue, but she refrained from speaking. intelligent girl.

For the next three hours, I planned. Everything that could go wrong, every detail, every backup plan. I used my memory to create maps of the structure. Every man we had available was given a position by me.

And I was concerned throughout it all.

It goes beyond the mission. I was concerned about the contents of that wooden box. One of the top accountants in the criminal underworld was Vincent Cross. That box might hold secrets that would shock every family in the city if he had been preparing something significant prior to his death—or a fake death.

including mine.

At last, the sun went down. Time had come.

"Everyone knows their positions?" I made one last inquiry.

Everyone nods.

Isabella arrives at the front door at precisely 9:15. Nico's team will have five minutes to enter through the basement. The exits are covered by Marco's team. Dante remains hidden but near Isabella.

"And if everything goes wrong?" Marco enquired.

"Then we adapt." I turned to face Isabella. "Keep in mind what I said. You flee if things fall apart.

She nodded, but I could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't planning to run. In an attempt to save everyone else, this girl was going to end her own life.

Once more, my phone buzzed. Nico.

In place. All set to go.

Then there was another message, from an unidentified number.

Luca, you're making a mistake. What you believe is not in the box. Vincent was safeguarding something far more hazardous than cash or knowledge.

My blood became icy. Few people were aware of the box. Even fewer were aware that we would pursue it this evening.

Who is this? I responded by typing.

The answer arrived right away.

Someone who has spent a lot of time observing your family. Someone who is aware of what your father did twenty years ago. Isabella should be instructed to check the box's fake bottom. Everything you cherish will be destroyed by the truth.

With trembling hands, I gazed at the screen.

It was twenty years ago. when our mom passed away. when everything was different.

One last message showed up before I could reply.

"Inquire about Isabella's father's lullaby. Find out from her why the words correspond to the names of all the people who killed your mother.